Archive / We Love Long Beach
Some Helpful Emergency Phone Numbers
Los Altos Park is West of Bellflower Blvd and North of Stearns St.
“There is nothing like being outside and on the water every day. I can’t imagine doing anything else,” says Cameron Abel, a Long Beach Marine Safety officer. On New Year’s Eve, Abel and his rescue team were positioned at the bottom of the barge for Travis Pastrana’s world-record jump at Rainbow Harbor. “My team was ready to go just in case the jump didn’t go according to plan. It was a great overall experience for our team and for Long Beach, with about 50,000 spectators on hand for it,” he recalls.
Born in Cincinnati, Abel moved to Catalina Island at age two. When he was three, he learned to swim in Avalon Harbor. “I always grew up in and around the water. I can remember at a young age watching the Avalon Harbor Patrol and idolizing those guys and thinking how cool it was that they got to work on a boat every day,” he says. As a high-school student at Wilson, Abel played water polo and swam with some of the best players in the nation. “During the summers my friends and I for fun would participate in the Long Beach Junior Lifeguards program. That was the first time that I got a good taste of what lifeguarding was about,” he says.
At 16, Abel tried out to be a part-time lifeguard and was accepted. Even at such a young age, he could sense the huge responsibility he had toward saving lives. Eventually, he could see himself doing it as a career. “People often view lifeguarding as a kick-back job that people do in the summer. The truth is, we are responsible for marine fires, hazardous waste treatments, LA River rescues and so many other things that go unnoticed to the public,” he says. Abel attends CSULB with the hopes of taking on a more administrative position within his department. “It has been great for me to look at my life and my experiences as a lover of the ocean, and to realize that all of my life has prepared me for what I do today,” he says. “I take great confidence in the fact that I am made to do what I love.” SCOTT JONES
After the storm, tornado warnings and floods met Long Beach, a few surfers went to work. Here is a video of the surf in Long Beach on January 19th 2010. Not even the mighty break water could calm this swell at Bayshore Ave. Surfs up Long Beach!!! Enjoy! We Love Long Beach!!!
Our Mission: To Know and Serve The People, The Neighborhoods, and The City of Long Beach, Ca.
Hey Wrigley, We Love Long Beach is excited to be coming your way! We want to give you the opportunity, in a safe and friendly environment, to get to know your neighbors better. (There will be free pancakes, sausage, eggs, fruit, vegan delights, orange juice, and coffee.) Also face painting for kids and a live DJ to set the mood. Remember LB, community is the home that WE build together, valuing our differences and the common good, to make Long Beach a great place to live. Please spread the word and invite your neighbors. We can’t wait!
HAPPY NEW YEAR LONG BEACH!
“No matter how fantastic a woman you are, your life partner is not going to magically show up at your door. You have to get yourself ready and then go out and find him,” says Bobbi Palmer, owner of Date Like a Grown Up. Created to help successful women over 40 understand themselves and men better, Date Like a Grown Up offers dating and relationship advice to clients via telephone. “The reason why I call it Date Like a Grown Up is because it is really about becoming a more confident, authentic and educated woman who can enjoy life’s journey,” Palmer says.
For a time, Palmer defined success along tangible lines—a big office that overlooked the city, for example. “My life was good: I had nice things, lots of great friends, I traveled and then I turned 40,” she recalls. This middle-aged milestone made her rethink everything she once believed about men, relationships and her own desires. “I think that I realized that it was all a sham. I had been living my life with a fear of depending on someone and being hurt.”
After working though some of her deep-seated fears and insecurities through psychiatrists, seminars and lots of first dates, Palmer found the confidence and courage to accept love into her life. At 47 she met her husband Larry, who, she says, “rocked my world.” But it did not stop there. “When I got married I felt that I had a lot to share with other women, and that is why I became a dating coach,” she says. Today, Palmer has a Web site, a dating resource blog and in January she will host a dating teleseminar for older women. “Clearly, by focusing on making some changes and learning some new things, I was able to find the ultimate happiness of my life. I see it working for my clients, as well, time and time again.” SCOTT JONES
For more information:
Website: http://www.datelikeagrownup.com/
This year, We Love Long Beach got the nod for “Best Free Breakfast in Long Beach” -The District Weekly
Wrigley we hope to see you there!
The mission of We Love Long Beach is to Know and Serve the People, the Neighborhoods, and the City of Long Beach, Ca.
Please invite your neighbors!
“My superhero character is all about new adventures and taking care of wrongdoing in the world,” says Reed Greenfield, alter-ego of comic-book superhero Z-Blade XX. Greenfield and friends recently released their first crime-fighting comic book, loosely based on Greenfield himself. “I, like others, am a struggling actor, and so I decided to create something new for myself. We needed another African-American superhero,” he says.
While working at Universal Studios as the Phantom of the Opera and Frankenstein, Greenfield met Guy Lemae, a fellow actor and art illustrator. “We started talking about comic books, which led to some sketches, and soon we compiled a creative team,” Greenfield recalls. He says the experience has been the most exciting time of his life—and has triggered a new found creativity.
For Greenfield the comic book was incomplete without its official superhero costume, which has become an essential element to marketing Z-Blade XX. “I now get to dress up as Z-Blade for local signings. All the kids are enamored and blown away by the suit. It’s an amazing feeling to see the kids smile,” he says. And this is only the beginning of Z-Blade: “In the end I want Z-Blade to inspire change in the world. I just want Z-Blade to represent justice in the world.” SCOTT JONES
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