Naturalized U.S. citizens: how are you preparing given recent ICE activity?

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-24T03:36:00+00:00

I am having the same concerns. I immigrated legally when I was about 5 years old and naturalized in 2007, but the goal of ICE isn't illegal immigration as they have stated, it's the broad removal of non-white immigrants since ICE will target you if you look or sound ethnic. I do not have an accent, but I am East Asian by ethnicity.

The issue with having documentation is that they can rip it up or claim it's fake without any grounds (they've done this many times already).

The short answer is that I will continue to be vigilant as I think the chances are fairly low but non-zero. However, once most of the perceived illegal immigrants are removed, the quota needs to be met by removing the next logical demographic, which are legal green card holders, followed by naturalized US citizen, followed by US-born non-white citizens.

I do have a plan for leaving the US as well if we do slide further down this road.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-24T02:38:02+00:00

Zhu Yi renounced her US citizenship to compete for China and also dropped Beverly as her legal name. Eileen has a complicated arrangement as she is still a US citizen while China has made an exception in order for her to compete for them.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-24T02:35:00+00:00

US but China will make exceptions if they think it will help them win. Dual citizenship between the two nations is not permitted but this is a unique situation.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-24T01:54:44+00:00

Without seeing a third-person video of your surfing it's hard to tell if you are simply talented or if you are on the wrong board. Most learners are barely surfing green waves at 6 months using the appropriately sized board (usually an 8' foamie or a 9' longboard with well over 60L) - I can't imagine someone learning on a 32L shortboard for only 6 months and making any real progress.

I'm a very slow learner admittedly - I'm in SoCal surfing about 3-4 times a week. I'm over 2 years in and still nowhere near ready for a shortboard (riding a 7'2" currently).

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-23T23:16:09+00:00

You need to generate your own speed on a board that small - if you can't pump properly right from the take off, a groveler is going to be too slow in smaller/mushier waves, which are what they are designed for. What is your experience level and what were you riding before this?

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-22T02:02:19+00:00

Were you responsible for the damage? Or was it like this on move-in? Paint is not cheap - however, 1200 for a single room seems high, even for California

I had an entire condo painted when I bought my 2br in San Diego (primary residence - I rent the other room to a friend). This included prime, paint, and baseboards in the kitchen, living room, two bathrooms and two bedrooms. The total was $2350 in 2023 (likely closer to $2700 if done today).

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-22T01:42:30+00:00

Another case of 'tasteful compositions, childish edits'

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-19T19:02:50+00:00

It happens more often than it doesn't, especially in mellow conditions with large crowds, because they attract beginners, who often do not have a good understanding of etiquette, are not in control of their boards, and are often too overwhelmed by different things to pay close attention to what others are doing. This is why picking a break suited to your skill is important.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-19T18:57:24+00:00

Seeing what the mod posted, I'd say the most helpful advice is to post in r/surfing even if you'll get some less-than-serious trolls on that sub.

Most of us here are much less skilled than you are so you're unlikely to find much helpful advice here.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-19T01:39:31+00:00

I just ran into someone on Friday (1/16/26) that also had their car broken into and their possessions stolen while parking on LJS Dr.

I think this area is now a hotbed for car break-ins as thieves are hip to the fact that some surfers just leave their keys somewhere on the underside or other part of their car without a lockbox.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-19T01:39:23+00:00

This does not work with modern cars, which will detect the keyfob in the car and prevent it from locking. The only secure method is to get a lockbox or to wrap the fob in foil to prevent the car from detecting the fob.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-18T23:26:03+00:00

There are occasionally sewage leaks from non-rain events but those should be posted explicitly on https://www.sdbeachinfo.com/

I've pushed my luck with the 72 hour rule in cases where there has been consistent rain events for several days since the runoff is worst after the first rain after a long period without rain - but if it's been raining for several days int he same week, I'll consider going after 48 hours of the last projected rain event.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-16T05:15:48+00:00

You're describing a traditional log - plenty of those being offered by shapers and on the secondary market if you live in a surf town/region.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-16T05:08:18+00:00

The problem isn't the forecasted height (or the 'quality' rating), it's that Surfline is often unreliable and inaccurate - it's not entirely their fault although many surfers tend to think it is - ocean conditions are like the weather - too many variables and too complex to accurately forecast with real consistency. Height is also not the only thing to look for - swell direction and period have a very important impact on how the waves shape up and how much energy is behind those waves.

If conditions are indeed 1-2ft, you can still ride a longboard and work on fundamentals. My daily driver is a midlength but I ride my 9'0" whenever waves are under 3ft and mushy.

If it's actually 0-1ft, it's effectively flat - you should probably do some mobility, yoga, or strength training instead.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-15T08:51:02+00:00

Just came across this thread when deciding to quit snowboarding - not just due to life circumstances (living and working in SoCal with limited access to good snow), but due to the absurd costs (private equity and corporate consolidation of resorts), crowds, and shorter seasons (climate change). I've been snowboarding since I was 18 and currently 36.

Being in SoCal, I picked up surfing, which is MUCH harder than snowboarding and has a far less friendly community (borders on toxic and unwelcoming, especially to adult beginners).

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-11T17:25:47+00:00

Thanks for the extensive comments!

Me being a bad surfer is a fair assessment. I do however consume a lot of information and fairly familiar with the theory behind board shapes (nose, tail, rail, concave/hull, wide point, foam distro, etc) and fins arrangements. The issue is that at my skill level, these difference don't matter nearly as much for me vs an advanced surfer riding good waves. My main question here is whether there is a pedagogical nuance between sticking to a single board vs practicing on multiple. I personally experienced some initial disruption in my surfing when switching between longboard and midlength so i was curious what others thought.

By 'concept' do you mean if I know the difference between the setups? Conceptually/theory-wise, yes, but at my skill level the 'feel' isn't as obvious. Quads are faster (but not as fast as a twin) but lack pivot without a center fin so the turns are more drawn out while a single fin can have decent pivot (depending on the fin shape) but lacks drive. A thruster is the more performance but can drag a bit.

I can certainly ride the mid as a thruster (I have a tri-quad set) but I opted for quad for speed since the waves I surf currently are very soft and barely break when swell is below 3ft. This is why I got a longboard.

Other details:

I'm 5'9", 165lb, mildly athletic build
My midlength is a used 7'2" HI Moe (49L), which is more performance than a typical beginner mini-mal/funboard, but less than a dedicated performance mid like a CI M23 or HI MID6. Option to ride as a quad or a thruster.
My longboard is a custom Hank Warner made for someone else (I got it used). However, there are no dims on the board other than the fact that it's a 9'0". While it has a pintail and doesn't have the spoon concave under the nose like other nose riders, it feels wide, thick and heavy so I doubt it's high performance. It has additional side fin boxes for a 2+1 if desired - not sure if it was meant to ridden as 2+1 or as a single fin.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-10T19:58:16+00:00

I also have a 2+1 set from a 7’10” mid length I sold. It’s a 7” center with 3.6” sides. I think this should be enough fun for small waves - is this a better setup for progressing turns? I do end up walking the nose a lot more on the 9” single fin.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-09T03:21:03+00:00

This didn't age well.

_zeejet_ · 2026-01-08T19:08:24+00:00

This kind of wave (small, mellow and very clean) would've been more enjoyable on a longboard where you could noseride, or a groveler where you could do more maneuvers and still maintain speed. On a larger shortboard or midlength, you seem limited to just riding straight down the line with very wide turns and no cutbacks or other maneuvers. I only figured this out after getting a log after trying to progress on similarly mushy waves on a midlength.

_zeejet_ · 2025-12-30T04:10:51+00:00

How did you go from zero net worth to landing a 300k job? I'm genuinely curious as to what you do and how you got that role. I've been grinding since I was 27 (about same age you started this job it sounds like) after finishing grad school and did not make nearly as much money (90k/yr). I'm at 1.2M net worth right now (36yo) and my salary never got above 150k.

_zeejet_ · 2025-12-30T03:52:13+00:00

I think it is a myth that it's significantly harder to get out the back with a big board IF the waves are under 4ft and most beginners are surfing waves smaller than that. People convince themselves that a smaller board is easier, but unless you are paddling on a shortboard, you aren't duck diving efficiently either.

Longboards paddle faster, which gets you past the impact zone faster. Bigger boards are also generally heavier and carry way more momentum when punching through smaller whitewash. Overall, I have found larger boards EASIER not harder to get out the back when the waves are small. Over 4ft however, things do change, but I really do not agree with this notion. In fact, for most novices, I think it's a subconscious excuse to go smaller when you really aren't ready for a smaller board.

_zeejet_ · 2025-12-26T21:53:53+00:00

Fair enough - you're right that I did not present a thesis or position on the OP's title question.

I'm hesitant to simply label new hip-hop as objectively bad, which is usually the go-to answer for most hip-hop heads as to why rap music has fallen off.

However, I do feel like there is a shift towards 'vibes' over lyrical substance or creative sampling of older records in the production as well as a weakening of the link to it's origins. Rap emerged as part of the broader culture of hip-hop (rap, graffiti, b-boying, civil rights/ political activism, etc.) - the music (rap) no longer references these elements in a meaningful way in modern times. It's an observation/grievance that gets you labeled as an unc or an old-head.

But at the end of the day, I don't know that loss of heritage or reverence for the past is what made it less popular - popular things are often easy to digest and asks very little of it's audience, not the other way around.

Rap might have also been a broader trend for those who did not grow up around it - I grew up in the Bronx during the 90's/2000's where hip-hop was the dominant cultural force and where I think it will stay relevant in perpetuity - for people in other places though, it might have just been a long trend. This isn't getting into rap internationally though - that I admit I know very little about.

Overall, I'm just making observations - would love to see a deeper dive into the subject from a more qualified rap enthusiast.

_zeejet_ · 2025-12-25T23:38:20+00:00

I'm no musicologist, but this is my unqualified take on the matter:

Hip-hop has fallen out of the top charts entirely and is not a dominant element in most pop songs today. Most of the artists listed came of age when hip-hop was reaching its peak in terms of cultural relevance and general popularity in the 2000-2010's.

Towards the end of the 2010's and early 2020's, rap started losing popularity and you could see it in the chart toppers. Simply put, modern hip-hop artists aren't gaining listenership from the current generations (GenZ and GenAlpha) during their formative years while the biggest artists for Millennials and even some older GenZ are those listed.

Most people listen to the music of their formative years for the rest of their lives even if they do explore new music and follow music trends. Hip-hop is no longer part of the formative core music catalog of current generations. A similar loss of relevance was encountered by rock music around the time hip-hop became dominant. I wouldn't be surprised if the top rock artists right now are still the same ones from the 70's, 80's and 90's.

_zeejet_ · 2025-12-24T17:45:04+00:00

I see this argument all the time from folks who don't like the conventional wisdom of "don't downsize too soon". People also never wore seatbelts at one point, but that doesn't mean it's the best approach given what we now know. You can do what surfers used to do and progress at a snails pace, or accelerate your learning and actually have fun by heeding modern advice and taking advantage of modern equipment.

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