Swimming Against The Current Oceanside Harbor

Usually I like to have a miserable, cold, choppy swim.  Usually I ENJOY being miserable during an unpleasant, freezing, water-swallowing, face-hurting, crap in the water swim. That makes me happy.
However, today I'm miserable and unhappy after my swim.  I was miserable, freezing, had the creeps, inhaling sea water, couldn't breathe what with the crazy oncoming chop of the ocean.  Why?
Part of it is that the City of Oceanside doubled the parking fee the beginning of the year.  I still have not gotten past that yet.  So today I wanted to do a swim longer than an hour so I had to pay 4 dollars - American.
There was a guy at the parking meter pay machine who was a buck short so I gave him a buck.  That actually made me feel better about the parking fee-in some weird way.  I feel better about giving a buck to a stranger parking than the City...
The water was nasty looking and the current was running north.  Oh, by the way, I didn't mention that I went to the Harbor to swim today.  I got in half-way between the 2 rock jetties at the Harbor beach and swam out.  What a mess of an ocean today.  Just chop, chop, chop. Big, choppy waves.  So, I headed south, against the current, just because I was feeling miserable and wanted to be more miserable.  So, on and on I go...21 minutes later I am tired and have barely gotten much past the south jetty.  That piece of water off that south jetty is a real mess.  The currents are all over the place-and the runoff from the San Luis Rey River/Creek/whatever messes up the water.  It dumps all sorts of crummy stuff into the ocean there.
So, swimming through that was annoying.  All sorts of floating specks and bits of pollutants and whatever.
On I go.  Initially, I had wanted to swim to the Pier, but at 21 minutes I abandoned that plan.  Swimming into the choppy current gets old.  I was getting the creeps more and more, so I changed my plan to swim my usual time-about 35 minutes-and then get out wherever I was.  So, that's what I did.  On the whole stretch of beach there were only a few people trying to surf in the water.  I got out on the south end of the Robert's Cottages-that's as far as I got.
I was cold, so I ran back to my car at the Harbor lot.  And that was that. 
The only good thing-not the only good thing-but the main good thing about this swim was that I needed to get a swim in today to keep my streak alive.  So, the streak continues.  I didn't even want to go to the beach in the first place today-just didn't have it in me.
Pretty lousy report, eh?

"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Hot, Winter Day in Oceanside-Flat Water, Nice Swim

The air temperature was 85 degrees at 3:30 PM at home and 77 at the beach.  The water was glassy flat-a big change from yesterday.  Several bored surfers lazed on their board looking for any wave at all to ride.  A few dozen waders and wanderers walking in the water enjoying a great, family day.  Young teenagers holding hands, young families taking photos of the toddlers, and young walkers at the beach.  We had a great, wholesome family beach day in Oceanside, CA today-Sunday.
It is often difficult to guess the direction of the current; today was no exception.  I always look at the fishing lines of the pier fishermen.  Which way are they pulled by the current?  Today, they were pulled both ways.  But the water looked calm, without a current.  I went in without fins and there was no noticeable current at all during the swim.  The water was cold, but not head-hurting or face-hurting.  I stayed cold throughout the first two-thirds of the swim.  Fortunately, there were some warm spots in the ocean this afternoon.
Off the end of the pier, the speedboats were annoying.  There were only a couple, but when you swim, you hear the whines of the engines, which alerts the swimmer to the danger.  I kept having to look around for boats or jet skis-the main concern out there.

"The first time you quit is the last time you try."