23breaths

Back to School

2012-02-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

"So what are you taking this semester?"

My kids are old enough to plan their schedules for them so I find out these things in casual conversation around the warm after dinner glow of the camp fire or the TV depending.

I heard the list of classes and responded in a tone that I hoped wouldn't sound too excited, "Do you have the books yet?"

This one has blurbs from Rob Lowe and Jim Moriarty!

The coast here definitely changes with the swell and the tide so this one should be good.

If you want to see what things looked like before the settlers came your best bet is to look at the off shore islands that haven't been too developed yet. I'm so excited about this one that I may save it for last.

It's going to be a good semester!

I have a feeling that some of these books may not get sold back at the end of the year.

There's a song stuck in my head and the new 4GF

2012-02-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

All sorts of things going on today so lets get started

BBJ

4GF photo courtesy of Paul Gross

As a was driving home yesterday I made the mistake of turning from my usual pre recorded discs to the local radio.

So as I was being treated to the top ten hits

IT happened

The song came on that was going to be stuck in my head for the next 48 hours

Now having a song stuck in your head isn't as bad as say a migraine
but after humming the same hook line for the hundredth time I have to admit I'm ready to reach for something suitably pharmaceutical to help mask the pain.

Seeing as that option wasn't on the table I turned to the only known cure.

I spent the early evening surfing thru you tube looking for an even worse song which while in the act of getting itself stuck in your head completely dislodges the original.

True, now you have an arguably worse song stuck where one hopes some higher brain functions might frolic but if you have been reading 23B for any length of time you know that doesn't happen very often anyway so it seemed like a fair trade at the time.

Without further ado I give you

Big Bad John

Big John

Every mornning at the mine, you could see him arrive.

He stood 6 foot 6, weighed 245.

Kind of broad at the shoulders, narrow at the hip.

And everybody knew you didn't give no lip to Big John.

Big Bad John was still rippling thru my mind as I woke up this morning

And I had been thinking about the new design model Paul is working on at 4GF headquarters when I went to sleep.

The lyric "kind of broad at the shoulder, narrow at the hip" keep repeating over and over and over in my head so in a preemptive entry in the, "name the new 4GF model" Paul will start in a few weeks, I'm going with

"Big Bad John"

FIN - C.R. Stecyk III

2012-01-31T06:42:00.000-08:00

Portrait by Anthony Friedkin

Reactions to the name itself are likely to run from who? to what? to where?

For anyone asking, who?

You may have heard of Z-Boys and Dogtown but if you were alive in the 70's, riding a skateboard in a drained pool he was a god.

If you asked what?

I don't know if I am truly qualified to answer that question but from a literary sense he is one of the few people that our little action sports industry is built upon. When people say core this is what they mean.

Which leaves those souls who just wanted to know where?

Hurleyville, February 8, 6 - 9 pm

More info here

Living in SoCal is tough

2012-01-30T06:33:00.000-08:00

The weather is nice but it's difficult determining what monthit is and what season we might be experiencing.

This weekend the weather was beautiful

High temps, along the coast in the high 70’s and low 80’s.

Where in the solar cycle are we?

Since the bit of rain we got last week the local hills havea covering of green down.

Early Summer?

The local false pears are in full bloom, the false snowstorm of their petals is just around the corner.

Spring?

Storms in the west Pacific and the Aleutianscontinue to provide decent surf to west facing beaches.

Winter?

Driving to work

Past grass never meant to be walked on

Growing under trees that will never bare fruit

Life is like a leaf

Blown across the freeway

Trying to make it to the other side

Octopuses

2012-01-29T08:14:00.000-08:00

A really good article on Octopuses at Orion magazine

I have been fascinated by Octopus and Cuttlefish for a long time.

I could go on about why and how but read the article and you'll have a better idea why I don't eat octopus tacos any more.

Just sitting outside talking with kayakers when suddenly...

2012-01-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

Try not to think about this clip the next time you are sitting outside!

enjoy the day

Hydrodynamica

2012-01-27T06:11:00.000-08:00

The opening for the Hydrodynamica show Remember the Future is this Saturday from 4-10 at the Space 4 Art and Loft 9 Gallery in San Diego.

Photo by Ryan Field

"The exhibition will feature original Simmons planing hulls and other objects he made, including the boomerangs he used for experimentation. Boards from Ekstrom, Lis, and Nicholas Mirandon will also be exhibited, along with photographs and short film clips."

What could possibly be cooler than that?

All the details are at the Hydrodynamica blog

2012 Kneeboard Surfing USA Titles

2012-01-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

Kneeboard Surfing USA 2012 Kneeboard Surfing USA Titles - Hungington Beach

The 2012 Kneeboard Surfing USA Titles and Festival will return Huntington Beach, CA. The Kneeboard Surfing USA Titles will be held on Friday January 27th and Saturday January 28th. Last year's competition in Huntington Beach was an overwhelming success.

I have mentioned previously that I don't like contests. The conditions are so variable and I don't think you can objectively judge an art form. But like most of the non mainstream surf forms the knee riders have contests, for the most part, just to get together. A cheerful group of tube hunters in general, and as I found out one morning as I swam out unawares into the middle of a local gathering, very interested in surf mats.

Go for the contest and stay for the festival.

Surf should be good and offshore winds are expected to pick up Friday night.

Lots of interesting stuff to do over the weekend but I'll go into that tomorrow.

I'll be in Riverside

BTW it's knee board week over at Korduroy.TV

Harrumph on a Wednesday

2012-01-25T06:19:00.000-08:00

It rained
(less than a inch counting both storms)

now the winds start up again
and it's in the high 70's
for the foreseeable future

Who's running this winter anyway?

I suppose it's better than having to break thru
the ice on the well
to get some water for my morning tea

But at least there's surf
several overlapping NW swells in fact

Most of the serious runoff has been
neutralized by now

So have a go!

All I've Found (George Greenough) - Sea Movies from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.

A sweet bit of video from George Greenough for your viewing pleasure this morning. If you look closely you'll notice the fins on the long boards of the era went from the wooden "D fins" to fish inspired glass "Greenough fins" by the end of the clip. Off course George had been riding Velo for a while by then but the change in fins marked a serious fork in the road for stand up surfboards. In a couple of years boards would be half as long and surfers would be free to surf anywhere on the wave face. It was a great time.

Lloyd Kahn over at Lloyd's Blog gave me a shout out after I had mentioned his new book Tiny Homes

My hit counter was huffing and puffing all day trying to keep up with all the new readers.

If you are a first timer, "Welcome to 23B!" although this is a surf blog I go on a bit about a lot of things and if you dip into the archives or make this a daily stop I'm sure you will find something interesting, amusing or weird enough to keep you entertained.

Enjoy the day

Rain

2012-01-24T06:17:00.000-08:00

Well they call it stormy Monday
but by Tuesday we were back to unseasonably warm with off shore winds

That's not how the song goes but
that's how it is

It's shaping up to be a drought year
we still have a ways to go
but it's just that
rain has become so
infrequent that
it's like a full moon

one of those things
that strikes you
when it occurs
you stop what you are doing
and watch it for a while

Well look at that!

rain

Friends Still Matter

2012-01-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much the response has been great!

Please continue to contribute via the links, healthcare is so expensive when you are paying the whole thing out of pocket.

Donate here

Donate here

If any of you have broken a bone before you may recognize the the problem here right off.

The Fibula is a stick-like bone that can be found toward the outside of the lower leg. It articulates with the Tibia at both ends and acts as a stabilizer for the ankle joint.

Surfsister's has taken a bit of a detour not unlike the North American plate and it's constant battle with the Great Pacific Plate.

But I don't want to glaze your eyes over with talk of bones and plates.

Here is the deal.

SurfSister, which you all know as a better person than most you find roaming the shore these days, has had the misfortune to to break her fibula here in the USA where if you need healthcare you had better be covered or you are out-of-luck.

Well she has but she may not be.

Josh over at Surfmeisters came up with a way for everyone (and I mean you by the way) to kick in a few bucks. It's easy, it's quick and the good karma alone will virtually guarantee you the best set waves on you next go out.

Donate here

It's Saturday?

2012-01-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

It's raining, I know because the cat is giving me that "oh no you didn't" look when I opened the door in response to his incessant scratching. I'm not sure what bothers me the most, that he thinks I control the weather or that he can channel the Maury Povich Show contestants this time of the morning.

Some Dylan and the Dead seems appropriate. Don't ask me why

She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine
An’ I said, “Oh, I didn’t know that
But then again, there’s only one I’ve met
An’ he just smoked my eyelids
An’ punched my cigarette”

Snappy lyrics probably have something to do with it.

I have no idea where or when this if from maybe recorded live during the 1987 tour.

Not interested? The cat wasn't either.

Makes me two for two today!

California Dreaming

2012-01-20T06:09:00.000-08:00

LOW CLOUDS AND PATCHY FOG WILL COVER COASTAL AREAS THIS
MORNING...OTHERWISE MIDDLE AND HIGH CLOUDS WILL SPREAD OVER THE AREA WITH SLIGHT COOLING INLAND TODAY. THE PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY AND BRING A PERIOD OF RAIN. STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. AFTER PARTLY CLOUDY WEATHER SUNDAY...A WEAKER SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN MONDAY AND LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS. WARM AND DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK DUE TO HIGH PRESSURE AND OFFSHORE FLOW

With the rain expected this weekend I'll probably be enjoying a good book by the fire. This more than likely means reading emails whilst trying to coax the cat into my lap (he's very warm but not much of a lap sitter). The swell should increase with the storm but runoff after the storm is really something you should avoid. I mean unless you want a third arm.

What cha doin' on Saturday night?

2012-01-19T06:04:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, January 21st, 6-8pm the Aaron Chang Ocean Art Gallery is hosting the Board Art Benefit for Surf Aid International. You are invited to meet 15 of the world’s top surfboard artists as they present for the first time their finished collective works started at Sacred Craft.

The Board Art Benefit is a project designed to bring leading artists and shapers together to create original works of art utilizing surfboards for the purpose of raising support for SurfAid International.

You probably saw most if not all of these boards being worked on at Sacred Craft come down and check out the finished product. It's times like these I would really like to see what Rick Griffin's contribution would look like.

More info here

One more thing, I'm all about these kind of events but why isn't anyone painting up a surf mat? I have seen the handplanes worked by artists and it was great. Just sayin' an alternative craft and maybe a matching pair of fins would be a nice addition to the mix.

Stop SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-18T05:51:00.000-08:00

Tiny Homes

2012-01-17T07:33:00.000-08:00

I’ve mentioned Lloyd Kahn in multiple posts and flat outripped off his content more than once. Lloyd’s the editor and chief over at Shelter Publications after beingthe shelter editor at the Whole Earth Catalog. Their latest release “Tiny Homes” has rocketed up the charts at Amazonsince its release.

Tiny Homes may be the quintessential topic for our currenttimes. “The Troubles” as they are knowninternationally and “The Great Recession” as it is known in the US has meant atremendous downsizing for many, a cautious attention to finances for most and a“we’re in the money” approach for those in the 1%.

People are beginning to sober up from the wild spending habitsof the real estate bubble when houses and off site personal storage had toexpand to accommodate all the stuff we were accumulating. So what does thatmean to surfmatters? Stuff (ie. surfboards) takes upa lot of space. My personal rafters arefull out in the garage and I hardlyeven bother to stand up any more. Forsomeone entering into the surf culture at the current point in the timeline awetsuit, a couple of mats and a pair of fins fits nicely in a duffel bag.

Less is more.

Stoke doesn’t take up any space at all!

A tiny home fits nicely with the current as well as theancient wisdom.

“The family airlooms can’t come in through the front gate”

Check it out a shift to quality over quanity may be just theticket.

Link to Shelter

What's that season between Fall and Spring?

2012-01-16T06:06:00.000-08:00

You know the one where it might rain every few years?

Don't tell me I'll think of it

From the NWS

BY NEXT WEEKEND...MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION ISPOSSIBLE.

summerFallWinterSpring

2012-01-14T06:45:00.000-08:00

Here comes the winter I know and love to hate.

A small low spinning in tomorrow (probably no rain but enough wind to mess up the surf) and then another bigger low for next weekend to eliminate the possibility of surf next weekend.

In between?

Lovely weather

and work

6 to 3

But all that
makes
today
a surf day!

I better get on it
it's starting to lighten up

Night at the Movies

2012-01-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

I attended the screening of Manufacturing Stoke last night. I see most of the new movies, some good and some bad but this it the one movie every surfer should see. The show starts by sharing the surf industries dirty little secret. Surfboards have historically been made out of rather nasty, cryogenic petro chemicals. This is not the "Better living thru chemistry" that the Dow corporation promised us in the sixties. From creating the blank to the resins used in glassing, the process is dangerous and there was no real way to recycle your board once it had reached it's useful end of life. How many surfboards is your wife going to let you put up on the wall to commemorate the swell of '69'?

The good news is that several of the small manufacturers that rushed into the void left when Clark Foam closed it's doors are working to provide a "greener" product. There are more options in glassing as well. I'm excited about tree sap resin! (How often do you use that phrase?) Less you think that the movie is a buzz kill the surfing in this surf movie is quite good, well shot, well lit and makes you want to go surf. (The litmus test for all good surf movies) The soundtrack is good and fits the action and the tone of the movie well. There is a fair amount of bodysurfing with a handplane in the movie. Ed and Kipp of Enjoy handplanes are interviewed. Enjoy handplanes are made from broken boards which otherwise would be headed for a landfill. It's nice to know that some people take the Reduce, Recycle and Reuse motto to heart.

In the end the decision it's up to us the consumers of surf products and surfwear. There are options in the marketplace and how you spend your money will determine the direction the industry goes in the long run.

Oh and Kendog flys by on his mat near the end.

Now that's a surf movie!

Manufacturing Stoke

2012-01-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

Manufacturing Stoke will be in town as part of the Newport Beach Film Festival
Today January 12 at 7 pm at the fabulous Muth Center and it's FREE!

Manufacturing Stoke travels across the California coast, visiting surfing legends and new comers alike, and delves into a world rarely-ever-seen to further explore surfing's greatest paradox: no other sport is as intrinsically linked to nature and yet a majority of the materials used are environmentally toxic.

More mats!

2012-01-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

Lots of news in the sports/waterSports/inflatables-but-not-pool-toys sliver of the blog-o-sphere today

It seems January is the time when everyone builds new mats.

Paul is looking for test riders for some of his new 5th gear flyers check Surfmatters for the details.

Mark is selling some new old stock before his new mats arrive with a new skin, see Krypt Surf for details.

and Grey Man's latest efforts can be seen on the UK Mat Surfs site Here (really looking good Gman!)

If it not new mats then it's new mat sites and our own Ramsnake has build a surf mat forum called the Global Surf Mat Riders Forum.

Check it out.

Movies, images and mat articles from Ramsnake's personal collection plus the forum where you can talk about mat stuff.

So what new about 23B? SOS here I'm afraid. The running has progressed to the point of injury (in the running world that's considered progress) and a "wider incision" is apparently needed for a suspicious spot of skin removed earlier in the fall. Not a big problem but it will probably keep me out of the water for a couple of weeks. Other than that the SoCal weather is continuing with an irritatingly warm and dry Winter and I fear we may not get much rain.

SAN DIEGO SURF FILM FESTIVAL

2012-01-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

Couple of things to talk about here on a Tuesday.First as you all know or should know at least, the SDSFF is closing in on the event horizon and while I expect good things from the festival itself, I know that there is a metric ton of you out there making movies with GoPro's and the like so string together your cinematic bits and bytes and get your submissions in. On time. Under budget. SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE MARCH 31ST.

Let's make sure there are some surfmat footage amongst the entries. Work with your friends, polish up your edits. Make it work people! You can't say there hasn't been swell. Who knows when you will get this chance again? Think of the people that are putting on the festival. Can you even imagine the Herculean task of cooking up all the popcorn necessary to properly evaluate all the entries? It boggles the mind. Full details below and at the SDSFF website.

The SAN DIEGO SURF FILM FESTIVAL is pleased to announce a call for submissions to all independent surf filmmakers everywhere. SUBMISSION DUE MARCH 31ST. In addition, come celebrate the unique contributions San Diegans have made to the surfing community through design and invention. Come one, come all and enjoy the art of surf cinema. The inaugural SAN DIEGO SURF FILM FESTIVAL will be proudly presented at BIRD'S SURF SHED.MAY 11-13, 2012

I ask you what could possibly be cooler that that? What! Maybe this? Just a tad of inspiration for you.

San Diego Surf Film Festival from Gage Hingeley on Vimeo.

OK OK OK you don't have to twist my arm here is some more goodness,

Yes that's right Manufacturing Stoke will be in town as part of the Newport Beach Film Festival!

This Thursday, January 12 at 7 pm at the fabulous Muth Center and it's FREE!

Oh the rumors going around that PMK will be releasing a few waves from last Thursdays trip to Rincon before the movie are just not true. Even if he had a special magical pouch a Chumash elder traded him for an *Enjoy Handplane and a couple of copies of Manfacturing Stoke and if he had stored a few unridden set waves in that pouch he would certainly wait until the flatness of summer to release said waves. If they exist. Held in some special Chumash wave storage matrix. Which they don't. Just so we are clear. No waves before the show. Besides he told me he wouldn't lease any waves until after the show.

FULL MOON!

2012-01-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

Full moon last night and with the dry air the view is clear and crisp.

I tried taking some pictures but with a bad case of the jiggles the shots look more like pictures of random marshmallows being tossed across the night sky.

Check it out tonight.

surf today

2012-01-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GREAT BASIN AND A TROUGH OF LOWPRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES WILL BRING MODERATE TO STRONGNORTHEAST WINDS

2012-01-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

Locally the morning fog and the scent of the various components of the California chaparral combine producing a sweet yet pungent aroma for the morning

As I worked out this morning I noticed two things

First the dryness that comes along with the high pressure was gone and I could smell sage!

The whole Salvia plant family is very interesting and most have a wonderful and varied scent.

It's easy to grow, almost always in flower and since it's a native plant it deals with the droughts rather well.

We have planed several varieties and on mornings like this the scent alone brings me back to the days of my youth when all of orange county was orange groves or native plants.

I am planning to head down to the beach later.

I understand there's been surf.

Still outside!

2012-01-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

It's like the mat riders are the only ones in all of surfdom that are listening to the same radio station KMAT

Oranges do so well around here they should call this place Orange County...hmm...never mind

Three times paddle out
two times surf in
Still outside!

Have a great weekend

Books

2012-01-05T06:52:00.000-08:00

The local library was closed between the holidays.

I was almost forced to (shudder) watch TV but then I dug a couple of gems out of the bookcase to tide me over.

WtW WtS is a collection of dozens of writers and poets from the Northwest and the short prose and poetry reflect the days spent fishing, logging and tree planting.

Good read check it out.

Library Blues

Got those closed library blues
I'm feeling kinda lost
I'd make a deal with the devil
If I could only read me some Faust

Sorry it seemed funny at the time.

New Year’s resolutions

2012-01-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

I have never believed much in the New Year’s resolutions.

Often times they are just ideas that sounded really goodwhen drunk on New Year’s Eve.

I’ll do 100 sit ups before bed every night!

They just don’t work out in the long run (or short run forthat matter).

Which is not to say that aren’t things that could use changing.

But the quit-smoking-drinking-lose-25-pounds-and-stop-eating-big-macs is just fodder for the health clubindustry.

Most new memberships are sold in January whichcoincidentally is the last time most people visit the gym.

I also believe that some self reflection is a good thing.

It just tends to be less effective when done at 11:45 pm onDecember 31 when you are half way thru a bottle.

So what would make a good New Years resolution?

My New Years resolution is to not consume my body weight inpeanut M&M’s this year. Again.

A good resolution but paradoxically a bad one.

Resolutions that require some physical makeover at themolecular level are difficult to initiate. On the plus side you are being madeover at the molecular level everyday of your life. Try to guide yourself in theright direction using at least as much patience you would need to train a new puppy. Becauseface it you are no new puppy.

I am going to run 15 miles every day!

Another fantastic resolution but completely devoid of anyconnection with reality as we know it in this universe or in any infinitenumber of parallel universes that may concurrently exist.

Maybe a good resolution is something a bit less personal andnot so core to your current physical configuration. You might as well say youare going to change you eye color. Compared to something like that starting theyear with a goal of implementing the 4 R’s, (no this isn’t the setup for somepirate joke) that is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Repurpose looks downright easy.

So give that a go. If you are going to make changes begentle with yourself, be realistic and start small. We can meet up next year at this time andtell each other lies about how well we did.

Good Luck

My dog is my teacher

2012-01-03T06:58:00.000-08:00

So now that it’s done

The tree is stripped of it’s ornaments

The roof line is devoid of lights

What was the point of all the noise and money?

I’m glad to be back to the routine

The normal food

Not too sweet

Not too salty

Just food

Just to eat

One more day

Fabulous!

So as I mentioned yesterday

The weather is nice (for winter anyway)

The surf is coming up (so the say)

And I am back at work

The grind

Between a rock and a hard place

The salt mines

My apologies for this commercial interruption, but it turns out that my new book is not so easy to find, and that Amazon is already out of them, so ... for those who may be interested in getting hold of a copy, here's a link that will get you there:

http://www.shoponeillusa.com/product/Accessories/Miscellaneous/JACK-ONEILL-BOOK/pc/678/c/0/sc/730/221040.uts

Thanks! And now back to your normal programming.

Drew Kampion

I have been wearing my “running shoes” non stop

I use the quotes because I still do more walking thanrunning

But every step is a step forward

To hurry is to win the battle but lose the war

Dog Stories -

I have given up the mindful walking practice in the house

One step one breath

Because the dog

A herding breed

Takes it as a stalking posture

An invitation to play

And I crackup, unable to do move forward

Other than to laugh and receive the gift and instruction

Reminds me of the time

I was testing out my new meditation cushion

Sitting in my best position

Legs folded

Back straight

Head level

Counting my breaths

Hands carefully folded

In the Cosmic Mudra

The dog took one look

And placed her nose

Deeply into my folded palms

“stop this foolishness and scratch me behind my ears!”

One doesn’t argue with a budda

PS
There are big wave warnings for Hawaiian Islands

Outside!

so far so good

2012-01-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

The first work day of the new year is a holiday
I like it
The weather has been very nice but not much surf

That will show up as soon as I am ensconced in my cube at work.

The running is coming along nicely
Paradoxically there is a lot of walking involved
but there you are

MMXII

2012-01-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

It turns out that the company I work for makes running shoes
as well as other types of toys
so I thought, what the heck
my back is already messed up
why not start running?

The local running trails aren't bad either.
To say "world class" might be a bit of a stretch,
but then again maybe not
it's kind of subjective
If you like running close to the beach
even on the sand
or in local rolling hills
then this place could be
pretty good.

I won't be posting my split times
from my last training run
because I'm not training for anything
My feelings about competition in the surfing world
"competitive surfing is like competitive picnicking"
carry over nicely to the running
And besides I don't have a watch

So somehow I'll work the running into the 23B posts
Ok maybe a new blog for that stuff,
I'm making a list of blog names
but you know how it is
sometimes you want something different

I also plan to work some more bikes into the program.
"Getting ready for a triathlon" you might wonder
No definitely not.

Way too old for that
"But you are only middle aged!"
I am middle aged only if I live into my low hundreds

We live in interesting times, pay attention

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T12:54:00.000-08:00

The old calendar

fills me with gratitude

Go Outside

2011-12-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

Surfing the net?
Look out the window
(you know the glass things kids hit balls thru)
Found the window? Good!

Is it still light outside?
Good! Go outside find something to do.
Play! You remember how don't you?
If it's dark than bring a light
If it's cold then wear a coat.

Trust me when I tell you
that no good stories start with
"So I'm just sitting there on my arse, surfing the net when suddenly..."
Not one

Besides,
there will come a time
when going outside
won't be an option

Rollerman

2011-12-29T07:19:00.000-08:00

So what do you get when you mix a matter and a transformer?

Rollerman!

from Lloyd's Blog

If you just aren't going fast enough on your mat and
you like the additional danger of possibly going off
the road (and a cliff) at 100 mph.

No guessing where the road goes

2011-12-28T07:07:00.000-08:00

It seems that it is time to do an end of the year review

But to be honest

I can’t remember last week

Let alone the whole year

Every morning I get up early

Brew some tea and surf the net

I read a little bit

Then I write a little bit

Only a few words

Just arrangements of the same ole 26

Oh then I steal some photos

Same as the day before

Some people like them

Some may not

I don’t read them much so

I don’t really have an opinion

They remind me of the plants that grow in the garden

Some are flowers

Some are weeds

I can’t really tell the difference

I do know where this road goes

But how it gets there

Is anyone’s guess

Besides the view along the way

That’s the thing

No guessing where the road goes

We lost a water brother just the other day

Some may say that his business contributed to theovercrowding in the waves

Others might say that he just organized a great deal of datathat few took the time to understand

I think of his efforts as that of a scientist who studiedthe wind and the water for a few good waves

Best to think of his work as a form of subtle and beneficialmagic and ride a wave in his honor

The easy way is hard enough

2011-12-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

The dead of winter finds me enjoying 70 plus degreeafternoons after 40 something degree nights. A whole year’s wardrobe worn in just 24 hours. Down fill for the pre dawn chill, Polar Tecfor the mornings, and cotton for the warmth of the afternoon then as the sunbegins it’s downward arc the whole thing reverses. In Southern California you never get to put everything away.

I’m basking like a lizard on a rock in the warmth of the earlysun enjoying the last cup of the sunrise pot of tea. The morning’s chorescompleted and the afternoons not as yet quite defined.

I know I really should bathe the dog but she knows this andalways outsmarts me by looking like she is so enjoying her mid day nap, knowingfull well that I am a sucker for a good nap and will let her sleep.

This time of the year, north of the equator we should all intentionally take a moment, even if it’s only one breath and appreciate that we are likelyto make it. I have mindfully listened tothe old stories and I’ve come to appreciate that it was not always so. Childrencoming back to school after the winter recess often meant that school chums,often whole family units had succumbed to the diseases we now regularly dismisswith a dose of aspirin or antibiotics.

It’s a deeply ingrained appreciation and respect for thechallenges of another winter. Not that we would be able to take advantage ofthe after Christmas sales or even the next good spring swells. But every creature’sdeepest desire lay down and for the most part silently locked away in their DNAis to make just one more trip around the sun.

Merry Merry

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

The day after the night before

Up early

new surf craft to load

gingerly in the car

Careful careful

put a towel under it

I hope the surf is a little bigger than the buoys say

glassy or maybe a little off shore

first wax or first breath

pulling on a new wetsuit

it goes on so smooth

it's so stretchy!

so warm

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T07:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays

no post! Elfing

2011-12-24T07:29:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be busy today Elfing

Elfing def - to make preparations for Christmas
also see House Elf def - unpaid over worked house slaves

anyway enjoy the day and go out and surf!

pre holiday musings

2011-12-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

I get up early (sometimes)

this morning it's 41 degrees

so stoked I'm not living on the streets

there is a great many things to be grateful for

If you are a fan of this blog

you have spare time(perhaps too much), access to a computer and an internet connection

even it's at work, school or the local library

You may spend a fair bit of the time riding waves and the local beaches on an inflatable nylon bag created expressly for that purpose by a master craftsman with years of experience in the design and fabrication of these surf craft.

At this point, if you surf on a pillowcase filled with air you swiped from a siblings bed this morning feel free to allow yourself a smug smile.

The rest are just a bunch of lucky ducks

Enjoy the holidays!

PS

My proofreader, editor / script consultant is at home today "waiting for an important package" so all errors, spelling issues, grammatical infractions etc are entirely my own and shouldn't reflect, from that standpoint, on the whole 23B organization.

PPS - If things come together surf and weather wise next week there might still be a mat meet. In the mean time so surf.

Here Ye Here Ye -

2011-12-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

by the decree of the sun gods and the universe in general
it has been decided to
tilt the earth back the other way!

the days are going to start getting longer in the norther hemisphere
and shorter in the southern hemisphere starting today

Nothing to get worried about
in OZ and locals of a southerly persuasion you still have summer
I hope it's a good one!

Up here we are just starting winter
and perhaps a little more NW swell
so we have a ways to go
before things are noticeably warmer

But change,
being the only consistent thing in this life
has begun

Might I suggest a good book to pass the time?

If you haven't read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings
you need to get down to the library and get started
It's a bit of a read
perfect to read during a long winters night
(although I had brought along the Hobbit on a trip to Bali in 74 and things worked out)

I understand the books were so good they are going to film the whole thing

one more thing

Here's just a hint, an inkling, a smidgen of what we can expect to see from the folks at Misfit Pictures at the upcoming San Diego Surf Film Festival or SDSFF if you prefer

San Diego Surf Film Festival from Gage Hingeley on Vimeo.

coming to a Bird's Surf Shed near you May 11-13, 2012

the annual Xmas gift post

2011-12-21T06:15:00.000-08:00

just in time for the holidays

The top 10 gifts to get a surfer are...

(drum roll please)

Well to begin with you don't need ten new things

(maybe knowing that is the biggest gift in itself)

Surfing is an experience maybe a lifestyle but not a product

(you can't buy a set wave from The Queen)

I suppose there is some stuff required

(I ALWAYS get email from naked body surfers who will argue the point and then send pictures)

but we tend to get more and more and more stuff,

(especially here in the land of plenty)

some of the stuff never get used, a waste of the materials and energy that went into the manufacturing process and lots of this stuff ends up in a landfill.

(I'm not buying that's a thoughtful gift for your great, great, great, great, great grandchildren who might be cultural anthropologists)

So what do you need?

(do peaks come in a ten pack with a side of off shore winds?)

More importantly during the gift giving season, what do you need that someone can buy you?

Grandma is more likely to pick up the pop out from the offshore sweatshop than the custom board from your local shaper.

(It had all those pretty plastic flowers and it came with matching shirt and trunks dearie)

(If grandma is jiggy with it and knows your local shaper (happy birthday wishes go out to Gary Hanel BTW) then goody for you and your obviously outstanding genetic lineage. Grandma may have even gotten handplanes for all the grand kids this year.)

Ok so where does that leave us?

Wax

(wax on wax off)

I had a standing order for surf wax for all gift giving occasions for years

(If you see me at the beach, ask me, I have some)

(hopefully the humor of a mat rider with a huge stash of wax is not lost on you)

There are some even neat wax scrapers available

(beats using a credit card, oh you cut those up? good!)

So where are we now?

more is out

less is in

waves come in sets

But don't come in a store.

The truth is no thing you can buy will make you feel like this

"Family treasures can't come thru the front gate"

So ask for a new beach towel.

That one in the car trunk stinks!

If it's a magic towel so much the better

It's time

2011-12-20T07:24:00.000-08:00

As I wonder thru the internets this morning

I detect a note of enough-ness

enough of the politics

enough of the fighting

enough of the "news" packaged with video
designed to inform you without telling you the real story

As we approach the high holiday of Christmas

which has sadly been usurped from a religious holiday

into the most important buying season of the year

without which the economic wheels could not turn

the selling of something unneeded to be gifted and re-gifted

in an endless looped designed to comfort us

I'm tired of the race for this years golden ring

The waves were good
I got my share
but the wind has come up
and it's time
to paddle in

Whiskey, Honey and Lemon

2011-12-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

The whole house is sick and so this home remedy for cough syrup is the call

A few sprigs of Thyme from the garden as a cup of tea works well too

For those of you who don't like to start the day with whiskey

Everyone should be done with their colds and so they can play with their presents on Christmas

I'm still hoping to be well and for the swell to pick up a bit after the holiday for a mat meet

LAST DAY TO ORDER FROM 23BREATHS TO GUARANTEE DELIVERY BY CHRISTMAS!

Oh hey I don't have anything for sale here so never mind

This just in "all matters must be from the UK"

2011-12-18T07:04:00.000-08:00

An anon commenter just yesterday said that judging from my blog all matters must be from the UK.

OK so that secret is out of the bag.

For anyone whose mental, physical, financial or spiritual well being has been harmed by this disclosure

I am truly sorry.

Since this blog often looks like something devoted to backyard gardening I'm kinda stoked, spilling the EU mat secret brings me right up to the tip top of the inflatable water craft secret dissemination pyramid. Watch out Wiki Leaks!

A mat rider somewhere in the UK

In US Socal weather news

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

DEPARTING UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE WILL BEING SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS
FOR THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 4500 FEET THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON WITH
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS THROUGH EARLY THIS
MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

FOR LATE MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FROM
THE NORTH IS EXPECTED TO BRING GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS TO
INLAND AREAS WITH A CHANCE FOR SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE
5000 TO 5500 FEET.

FOR WEDNESDAY INTO THE WEEKEND...PERIODS OF GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHEAST
WINDS ARE POSSIBLE FOR INLAND AREAS.

So water your garden and if you are traveling to the EU in general I understand that surf mats travel well.

All about mats

2011-12-17T15:24:00.000-08:00

Greyman and his merry band of matter over at the Uk Matt Surfers org

Have put together a list of articles for the mat curious.

Check it out All about Mats

the official mat meet waiting period

2011-12-16T06:14:00.000-08:00

Photo by Jason at Daily Bread

After a brief respite I am back in charge of my own destiny
the captain of my own soul
the master of my fate...

awfully spry for so early in the am
the meds must be kicking in

good

With my universe tipping back to the normal tilt

I'm thinking fondly of some of the Christmas traditions
we hold so dear around the 23B hearth

first and foremost

"if it's not done by now
it's not happening"

lay that burden down
and try to easy into the holidays
with some shred of vitality and good cheer
before it is torn away like the last good Christmas cookie

And since I have mentioned the shred
I am declaring the period between the 25th and the 31th
the official mat meet waiting period

Hard to tell what we might find
yesterday started clear and turned to rain, thunder and lightning by early evening
this morning it's cold, clear and the forecast calls for warm off shore winds

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present.

Sunshine Superman

2011-12-15T06:17:00.000-08:00

Sideslip inside Sunset switchfoot

I've always been a huge fan of Jock Sutherland so I was stoked to see this video from the Lost and Found

Lost & Found/ JOCK SUTHERLAND from Corduroy Films on Vimeo.

Oh and by the way

A COLD STORM SYSTEM MOVING INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL BRING PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND MOUNTAIN SNOW ALONG WITH STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS.

The wild glint in your eye and John Severson

2011-12-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

I not a big fan of most of the hundreds and hundreds of surf publications out there these days

Partly because I'm long past the target demographic they shoot for.

And of course there is that "only once in a blue moon" shot of a mat, a hand plane or just someone body surfing photo policy. (if you don't advertise here we don't run your picture) I understand the approach from a business point of view but as a stoked surfer it makes no sense at all and quite literally leaves me wanting more. Thank goodness for the Surfers Journal and the thousands of bloggers out there that keep the stoke alive.

Another reason the current Action Sport Retailer cataloges are basically unreadable is that I grew up reading SURFER.

I had an older brother that took up the sport not long after our family moved to Huntington Beach in 1960. A big part of being in the tribe at the time was reading SURFER, along with Levi's, a white t-shirt, huaraches and a Pendlelton. I'll leave out the weird hair requirement because one it was weird and two I have never fully understood it. Although it would be a few years before I got my own board we were in the water whenever we could. Funny thing everyone used to body surf. If you were captured by the allure of the ocean then the next step was renting a mat from one of the stands during the summer. !! After the stands closed you used a crudely shaped piece of plywood as a Paipo / body board while you saved you paper route money for a surfboard. I still have splinters from being almost cut in half by those suckers, but I digress.

SURFER magazine and by that I mean John Severson and his band of editors, photographers, artists, writers and well surfers keep the stoke torch burning all those times we couldn't get a ride to the beach, in school or the surf was just plain old flat as a pancake.

Not only did he keep the stoke alive but during the late sixties he and his magazine took a very anti Vietnam war stance. This no doubt cost him thousands in advertising and cancelled subscriptions. The magazine continued to be a good read, was full of stoke and had a social conscience for many years.

Thank you Mr. Severson

No Vocals

2011-12-13T06:36:00.000-08:00

I mentioned that another trick to quieting down the holidays is to switch to acoustic music without vocals.

Your brain is built to listen to language it's not easy to stop that process besides the acoustic sounds go well with the rain.

I came across Tony Kaltenberg in this Bali clip

I liked the music so much I went out and bought the album

Two things.

Yes I still call them albums.

Second if I hear Dean Martin refer to Rudolf the Red Nosed Rain Deer as Rudy I going to snap.

Happy Holidays

286

2011-12-12T07:08:00.000-08:00

That's more or less how many emails load up in my main email box in a week.

I know because I haven't looked at them for seven days (still haven't actually).

This of course doesn't count Facebook, Twitter, general web browsing, and everything at work.

This time of year can be overwhelming so I am cutting back on the stimulation where I can.

I still have a job (thankfully) where I stare at the screen for 8-10 hours a day and try to make sense of what I am seeing. They would be very upset if I neglected the email accounts there so I am still getting my daily quota.

But something had to be done.

The Holiday Roar of TV, newspapers, the internet not to mention the people in the stores who I'm sure, would happily pummel you for that "Tickle me Emo" you're carrying.

It was truly "harshing my mellow"

and I hate when that happens.

So I am limiting my stimulation for a while, where I can.

I have answered a few emails and will continue to post on 23B.

But I need some rest if I am going to make it through the holidays and into the new year.

The best things in life

2011-12-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

aren't things
may not even be the best
but are definitely part of life

Image snaged from LSoRO

... COLD STORM FROM THE NORTHWEST FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY...
A COLD STORM SYSTEM FROM THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SOUTHWARD JUST OFF THE WEST COAST... REACHING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY MONDAY. THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY INLAND ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND NORTHERN BAJA MONDAY AND TUESDAY BRINGING SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER TO AROUND 4000 FEET. ALONG AND WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS... RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM ONE HALF TO ONE INCH WITH AMOUNTS OF ONE QUARTER INCH OR LESS IN THE DESERTS. SNOWFALL OF SEVERAL INCHES IS POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 6000 FEET WITH LESSER AMOUNTS DOWN TO AROUND 4000 FEET.

So as the planet
Breathes in the cold dry air
breathes out the warm moist air

Enjoy the rain

This just in

2011-12-09T06:01:00.000-08:00

From the National Weather Service

... WET AND WINTRY WEATHER TO RETURN NEXT WEEK... .

A PATTERN CHANGE WILL TAKE PLACE LATER THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK... SUCH THAT A COUPLE OF COLD PACIFIC STORMS MAY TAKE AIM AT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOR LATE SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AND THEN AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. THIS MEANS THAT THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR WET AND WINTRY WEATHER TO RETURN TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS EARLY AS SUNDAY NIGHT.

As much as I like the offshore winds

The rest of the it
the dryness
the cold nights
and the out of control wild fires

are less to my liking

not that nature cares in the least

So as the pattern changes
as well approaching the
Winter Solstice
or the Summer Solstice
depending

let's take a moment
to appreciate
that things change

That the energy of the universe

waves

and feel free to wave back

The corporate life

2011-12-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

After two days of working part time at home
and battling hammer and tong with the first cold
I've had in quite a while

I have decided to take
my show on the road
and go into the office

Hopefully I won't be
spreading
the virus
around much

And since I can grunt
between hacking coughs
I can communicate
at the corporate level
quite nicely

Dude that's so sick!

2011-12-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

I can't really say that I get that usage.
But the language is a living thing
maybe more like a process
for better communication
and people add to it as needed.

But I still don't get it.

The elixir in situ

Soon I'll be adding these beauties to the anti-viral arsenal

No persimmons on our tree this year but the colors on the leaves are spectacular

Mustard greens (above) and Swiss Chard (below) don't seem to mind the cold temperatures we have had lately

Not a huge winter garden but enough

To see a really well done garden setup check out Ramsnakes raised beds!

This pumpkin vine volunteered at the wrong time of the year

Salvia Clevelandii or as I call it "the one by the garage"

Who doesn't love a salvia?

California natives sages do their best this time of year.

There is no app for this

2011-12-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

Nice looking single fin this guy has but when there are BIG chucks of ice on the beach I would have to pass

Came down with a cold overnight.

My wife promised me her chicken noodle soup for dinner which has never failed to fix me up.

Not a hard recipe and one you can eat for a lifetime.

If you want go vegetarian just skip the chicken and add some firm Tofu.

If pressed I could probably make it myself although I always defer to my wife's superior cooking skills.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 quarts chicken broth or canned low-sodium broth
1 quart cold water,
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups egg noodles
Ginger
Mustard Greens

Preparation:Heat the oil in a brothpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken to the pot and pour in the broth. Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is very tender, about 1 hour.
Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and add back to the pot.
Add the noodles and let them cook until soft.
Grate the ginger into your bowl (about a half teaspoon per bowl)
Chop the raw mustard greens and add them to the bowl (as much as you want)
Scoop the soup in to the bowl.
Give thanks for the chicken who gave his or her all for this soup as well as expressing gratitude for the rest of the ingredients.

The soup will cook the greens which add a lovely peppery taste to the soup
The ginger works as an antiviral agent and is tasty too!

(G-Man, no word on how this works on the back, but it can't hurt)

SUM - Stand Up Matting

2011-12-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

I've seen the best minds of my generation

confused on the concept

but it was too much fun to watch

so I didn't point out the error

in their ways

* With apologies to Allan Ginsberg

Backwash

2011-12-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

Heading off to steep beach this morning

maybe better to wait for the tide to drop

That time of year again

2011-12-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

This was last years tree but its time to throw on the roof racks and get a tree.

In other news there are rumblings over on FB in the super secret group "In George We Trust" that a mat meet is in the works.

More news as it, like some waves, break

Great new mat spot!

2011-12-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

You could make it on the mat!

Love the song and I greatly admire the sound he is getting out of the cigar box Uke!

Happy Friday!

High Wind Alert

2011-12-01T06:07:00.000-08:00

This is all part of the glorious weather that we get here

Last weekend was warm with very little wind

Yesterday, today and tomorrow there are strong wind advisories

Here is a clip of the smoke from a fire a while back in San Diego county.

Bad poetry fragment written a few years ago.

My car is covered

with the ashes

of my neighbor's hopes and dreams

Please be careful as any small fire can suddenly become way out of control.

Grimmies

2011-11-30T06:11:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post I was able to get into the water last weekend.

It had been a while and I was happy to enjoy the warm air and glassy surf conditions.

I paddled out along the state beach in a place with a small peak and a relativity small crowd of three.

I had gotten a couple when we were joined by a couple of grimmies.

Grimmies being a historical term now. Having been replaced by the term grommets in general usage.

(although Kook is making a comeback and has some slightly different connotations)

These two young surfers had all the signs of just starting out.

Boogie boards (yes I still call them that) ill fitting wetsuits and one pair of fins shared between the two.

New to the sport

That said, they seemed to be having as much fun as anyone out.

Maybe more.

It made me ponder

I know that I,
arguably
surf better
now that way back then

But do I have more fun?

Has the overcrowding
and the competition for dwindling resources
so evident on land
spread to the sea
and robbed us
of that most cherished dream

“seek and find the perfect day, the perfect wave, and be alone with the surf and his thoughts.”

News - North East West South

2011-11-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

surfing alpaca

From the National Weather Service for Southern California

...STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO BRING VERY STRONG WINDS...COLDER
WEATHER AND POSSIBLE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES SOUTH ACROSS THE
GREAT BASIN TO THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY WEDNESDAY INTO
THURSDAY. THIS WILL BRING A SHARP CHANGE IN THE WEATHER TO EXTREME
SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA...WITH VERY STRONG NORTHEASTERLY
WINDS...COLDER WEATHER AND A SMALL CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

Gardening note --

In addition to the implications to the local surf conditions I would suggest that you make arrangement's to protect any winter crops you may be growing. The strong Santa Ana's, sometimes called "the devil winds" can be hard on any new growth. A good watering would be in order and if your plants are exposed then some wind protection might be advisable too.

Winter or Spring

2011-11-28T05:44:00.000-08:00

Jelly Fish or Kitchen Scrubber?

Saturday and Sunday were beach days

out of necessity

Winter is here which means

Spring like temperatures.

Hot and Dry

With a side order of off-shore winds

Standard Thankgiving Feast

The flag doesn't lie. No wind here.

By Sunday the swell had dropped but the weather was so nice you had to get in the water

just because.

I rode the Fatty today.

A great day for it.

Just perfect.

Thanks Paul!

I believe in the healing power of salt water

2011-11-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

I slept on the beach hoping it would clear my head
but my dreams were filled with images
that would have given Hieronymus Bosch pause

garden of earthly delight

I awoke to find a decent swell and a outgoing tide

I had no choice but to paddle out
and hope that
the surf
would clear my mind

I paddled outside
and was suddenly swept out to sea
among humongous waves

My only chance was to catch a wave and try to make it back to land

fortunately I was on a mat!

I snagged one of the larger ones and surfed for hours continuously sliding toward what I hoped would be the shore and safety.

When I finally reached shore I found myself, suprisingly enough,back home in SoCal.

Something strange

2011-11-26T06:58:00.000-08:00

Something strange on this trip
or normal really
things are looking far too regular
could it be?
am I really here?

Let me sleep on it

Meanwhile check out the UK Mat Surfers blog while I compose myself

2011-11-25T07:56:00.000-08:00

At the after Turkey after party last night, I met some people,

who knew some guys,
who had a friend,
who knew some people,

who knew a guy who was the guy who takes care of the plane of the King of Spain!

or something like that.

Things aren't real clear this morning, did you know they have wine in Spain?

Neither did I. But they do and it's good.

So this morning we took a plane ride and checked out the surf

They called this place "La Reina"

everyone is way friendly here,

they laughed the whole time in the plane.

Really getting the hang of the language here.

Total immersion

I understand almost every word!

Good Stuff

Happy Thanksgiving from 23B

2011-11-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Must be the place! Check the board!

Arrived in Espainia and waiting to meet up with Big G.

Nice place and the waves are insane!

Totally spaced that today is Thanksgiving.

So to make it all homey and stuff I watched this on YouTube 47 times sitting on a bench in a park by the hotel

Some people walking by heard the video in English, we started talking and they invited me to a little impromptu celebration with some other expats

Good Stuff!

More Alice

Here is a link to Arlo Net in case you are wondering what he's up to (a lot)

Big thanks to matt23 and everyone else playing the 23B home game!

Off to Spain

2011-11-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

After some trouble with his email account Graeme has asked me to meet him in Spain for a surf!

Mundaka : photo Karen ASP/Covered Images

He says he has a great hotel right next to a trippy park in front of the famous break!

He says bring all your cameras, cash and credit cards.

Funny he didn't he didn't say anything about mats and fins!

I have to hurry to catch my flight out of LAX will post soonest.

Holiday Traditions

2011-11-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

I would post this once a week but once a year during Thanksgiving week is probably better.

Sorry about the ads in front but you know how it is.

Just in time as kitchens all over America are spinning up to fever pitch. Or maybe you are just looking thru Yelp reviews for somewhere close by.

Either way enjoy the day.

Locally we have a long standing tradition of off shore winds on T-day. Not necessarily any surf to go with it but at least some winds.

BTW, this post isn't quite as good as the one I originally wrote, the comedy, the drama, the witty repartee, the deep life changing observations about the universe. Yeah it was a good one but then I had computer issues. If I had a Mac I could say "a leopard ate my blog post" but no mac here. Just a under powered Dell without enough RAM, too small a hard drive and that crumby windows XP OS.

I will probably suspend the breath for a couple of days during the holiday (thur-sun) or maybe not. I try not to make too many plans, they always change anyway and so I just try to go with the flow.

Something I just got in the mail,

I made a quick trip to Spain on a short vacation unfortunately i got mugged at the park of hotel where i stayed,worse of it was that my surfmat and fins were stolen at GUNPOINT leaving me mat-less right now.I swear it's was a horrible experience for me,i need help flying across the water and the authorities are not being 100% supportive even thought there is a good swell running 2-3 feet overhead! but the good thing is that i till have my stoke. I need some cash to get on a mat back home. please let me know if you can help.I would appreciate your reply.

I checked and our friend seems to be OK nevertheless let this be a lesson to all of us to be mindful, careful and to stay out of the park next to the hotel after dark.

Au revoir

Murakami's latest

2011-11-21T05:25:00.000-08:00

Great read.

Sunday started with a dog walk under bight skys and some might say warm temperatures.

About half way through the walk that first gust of pre storm wind came, scattering fall leaves and drawing my attention to darkening skys.

The rest of the morning was spent battening down the hatches and preparing for some rain.

Watching a new storm come in is a gift, meant to be opened immediately and shared with loved ones.

After noon when the rain started in earnest.

There wasn't anything better to do other than brew up a pot of tea and tuck into Murakami's latest.

Great stuff.

Saturday Morning Mat Movie

2011-11-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

I hadn't seen this one before

I like it

Hey Ho Let's Go Surfing

2011-11-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

a new film by Nathan Oldfield for the Critical Slide Society

Hey Ho Let's Go Surfing from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo.

looks fun and at the very end you catch a glimpse of Leo and maybe Mateo

Fluid Dynamica

2011-11-17T06:04:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen Thinkmat's video you are in for a treat

Shot from his custom packback.

Now everyone uses a GoPro.

But this was shot on film.

Jonathan same mat as above, also hand made from scratch.

Photo by Ken Samuels

Stoke-a-boca, Cottons Point

The Turnip Greens are Laughing

2011-11-16T06:12:00.000-08:00

So a chance of rain again this weekend means I may or may not be in the water anytime soon

But the greens have jumped up a lot in the last two weeks

Cale

Turnip Greens

Chard

4 2 6 weeks

2011-11-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

Photo by JDUB

There comes a time

every year
in the fall
where

my injuries
the rain

every
blinking
weekend

and
miscellaneous
adventures

conspire

to keep
me out of
the water
for

4 to 6
weeks

we are maybe
half way through
that now

so
I do
the easy yoga

every day
watch the weather map

and

conspire
to get
wet.

Photo by Jason

Normal weather

2011-11-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

Weather is finally the "normal" for the OC

Beautiful sunny warm days with chilly evenings

Where are my Ugg boots?

I did a run up from Newport Beach to Long Beach on Sunday.

Since I wasn't driving I had a good chance to look at the surf.

It was one of those classic fall afternoons

The weather had cleared

The sun was shinning bright

The temperatures had risen enough for me to trade my long pants and Uggs for shorts and sandals

The wind was having trouble deciding if it wanted to blow offshore or just glass off altogether

And there was swell!

I found these pictures on the internet

The waves yesterday were bigger and the tide was lower.

Good Stuff!

***

It occurred to me sitting and watching the rain on Saturday

The water comes down flows thru the water table

becomes part of the sun / foliage system or

flows into the ocean to be evaporated

back up into the clouds.

For a moment I realized that my whole life is just a phase of the water cycle.

or maybe I'm just a drip

Watching it rain

2011-11-13T06:44:00.000-08:00

I love to sit on the front porch and watch it rain.

A jacket a hot cup of tea usually a hat

Watching the snails come out and play

The local bird stop by and have a go at the worms coming up out of the grass

Hummingbirds zoom by and visit the sage.

But nothing like this

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo

Surfing in the Rain

2011-11-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

Searched YouTube this morning and found this little gem

Miscellaneous pros surfing in Chiba Japan back in 1991.

Tom Curren at the end of the clip (2:37) steals the show with a board with no lams or stickers.

Was this the one that caused all the trouble back then?

11.11.11

2011-11-11T06:12:00.000-08:00

Only 365 more shopping days until
12.12.12

This weekends storm of the month has the forecasters stymied

Apparently

it's complicated

but it does look like some happy blending of swell and rain for the locals to sort out.

bright sun

and low tide

a small yet earnest couple of swells

meeting like old friends

at a new sand bar

this one dream

or the next one

don't be late

Just Blue

2011-11-10T06:06:00.000-08:00

Nice weather during the week
followed by rain over the weekend
for
three
weeks
straight

Just Blue

Greens, reds and yellows

2011-11-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

Happy 70th Mr Greenough

The internets, they keep track of these things.

Meanwhile in a sub-urban backyard somewhere in southern California...

The greens love the rain.

I hold off on thinning out the planting until after the snails have had their fill.

Collards

Swiss chard showing a bit of color in the stems

Mini Mess O' Mustard Greens

Frame grab from Crystal Voyager

Greens and red and blues

2011-11-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

Link to CNN weather story here

The picture above caught my eye with the caption, "Alaska faces one of it's worst storms ever"

Alaska has some wicked storms so this bears watching.

I can't tell if this one will send us wave or just pound the Alaskan coast.

(Stupid economics degree)

Winter weather in SoCal is green light red light game played with wind and water

First some gnarly storm in the Gulf of Alaska set swells in motion.

Those swells bear down in whatever direction the storm was moving, as well as waves of energy traveling out to the left and right of that direction.

As the swell heads in our direction so does the storm that created it. Often times they are out of sync by the time they reach our fair shores. Which is good because nothing ruins a swell like a storm.

What the storm giveth the storm taketh away.

Unless we are sitting under a dome of high pressure, which is not that usual for us.

That forces the storm to track north of us, while the swell continues on in our general direction.

So winter is a happy combo of some rainy days and some warm dry days with swell mixed in there somewhere.

The good time change

2011-11-07T06:53:00.000-08:00

So if there is anything I hate more than Monday's
it's a Monday after a time change
I have gone on
at length
about the
utter wrongness
the cruelty
the marginal inefficiency and
just plain aggravation
on changing my
arbitrary time
reference points

Now you might say
"but prana
it's the good time change"
we get back
the time
stolen
last spring

But see it
from my side.
I get up for work at 5
no problem
I've been up since 3

Now
I get up at five
and I've been up
since two

It's not helping

That and since
there is no way to
reset my
stomach
clock

I always
hungry

** ***

In other news

bodysurfing is indeed the new black

this phase will pass quickly

because there is no commercial potential

or Mark Cunningham would be a deity

The big SF bodysurfing contest went off over the weekend
Judging from the preliminary marketing
the organizers and contestants
weren't taking the whole thing too seriously
which is good
more fun that way.

The ASP on the other hand
which also ran a contest "Somewhere in SF" over the last week or so
obviously needs to make some changes.

Having given it the serious thought it is due I respectfully summit the following.

either

1 - radically simplify the whole rating system (maybe something with beads for winning a heat)
2- find someone that can add
3 - come to the obvious conclusion that competitive surfing makes as much sense as competitive picnicking.

Why not do what the magazines have been doing for a while now.
Have the biggest of the Action Sports Retailers pony up some dough and have there 10 best contract players (well at least the ones that are reasonably sober and not checked into rehab) perform in a roving "Expression Session". The circus that comes along with the contest can still come along. Stickers can be passed out. Surfing aficionados could argue into the night about the merits of the rodeo-clown-double-uber-flip as it relates to mortgage rates in america or whatever they are taking about "in the booth" (I turn the sound down before clicking on the link, lest I a subjected to the rap)

You just wouldn't have the points.
That undeniable total
showing without a modicum of doubt
the winner

And since no one can add

you don't have that now anyway.

Houston we may have a problem

2011-11-06T07:06:00.000-08:00

My wife and I made a small dent in the quarterly "buck a bag" library book sale

Part of today's haul

Books from last time still looking for shelf space.

Books that made it to the bedroom

The man cave book shelves are overflowing

overflow

Now I am not, as yet ready to admit I have a book hoarding problem.

Winter will soon be upon us and you never know when the snow will be too deep to make it out of the house,

here in sunny southern California.

Did I mention they had videos? Wave Warriors! Stoked I hadn't unhooked the VHS player

"Witness Martin Potter's aerial assault on Backdoor"

Hot 1985 North Shore action!

If this is all wrong

I don't want to be right

** ***

There have been those who have mentioned that I am reminiscent of Burgess Meredith in that Twilight Zone episode, "Time Enough at Last" in my devotion to the printed word

Did you say "buck-a-bag" book sale?

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Mine all Mine!

Did you say "Mat Meet"?

From now on I will be using "Henry Bemis" as my pseudonym

Vans

2011-11-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

in the backyard for weeks
covered in mud
the result of my son’s nocturnal roaming
thru the back bay mud

It was irritating
a good pair of regulation
size 10's
Vans
going to waste

I had worn out
many pairs
over the years

The blue suede ones
in high school
as much as a uniform
as the red ones were that
I wore busing tables at the Cannery restaurant
my senior summer
(I had long hair and had to wear a wig
that's another post)

I wouldn't
let
these shoes go to waste

First I soaked them
in a bucket
for days

but

they would never be
snow white again

I am a sloppy
coffee drinker
and I know
it stains
good

so
DIY
I used a half pound
of the weird espresso
to stain them
a nice
mocha

after a week in the bucket
no change!

They were
the shoes
that wouldn’t
DYE

RIP James Van Doren co founder of the Van Doren rubber company.

surfy growy rainy

2011-11-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

RT over at WWAARRBBLLEESS always has the best stuff.
Always interesting to see how his movies, clips and works in projects change as time passes.
(Does time pass? It's always right now. As true when I wrote it as it is when you are reading it, right now!)

But I digress

Super fun surfing
Watch it twice
Thanks RT!

***

Lloyd Kahn

I have, on more than one occasion, thrown in some tidbits regarding Lloyd Kahn here on 23B. Builder, early editor to the Whole Earth Catalog (the place for new ideas and information sharing before the internet), runner, beach comber, editor of Shelter Publications, skateboarder, gardener and someone who seems to be having a heck of a lot of fun in the process.

***

The rain hadn't started yet when I got up at 5.
Ok it was 5:15 gimme a break it's Friday.
Anyway now at 7am it's definitely raining.
Or as we like to say "The cat is not happy"

So be careful, drive safely and have a nice weekend.

Book Shelf

2011-11-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

Since I am out of action
I made a quick run
to that beacon
of sanity
the local lending library

I've read some Burroughs and it's always interesting stuff. A combination of intellect, crazy and chemistry. Never read NL before so it's as good a time as any

Ashamed to say I've never read Bukowski. I blame the public school system. I know I am nibbling around the edges with this "reader" but it works at the moment.

So there you have it.

A little lite reading

to go with some

back pain

and

some mild

sedation.

Dinner tonight was stuffed shells!

Surf related - Locally we are trading the high pressure and the accompanying winds (winds I didn't see no winds!) for a unmatched pair of low pressure systems set to slide into so cal thur-fri and sun-mon. Some rain from the thur-fri storm. Oh and some guy name Kelly won another world title on a hard board with three fins. Amazing! Just imaging what he could do on a mat

OCCUPY Woodstock

2011-11-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

Occupy Canada

I would understand
if you thought it was time
for a personal news black out

Where I just turn it all off
and try to
live my life
the best way
I know how

But before that happens

I get up every morning
make tea
and check CNN
to see if we are at war
other than the international
and domestic ones
we were involved in
when I went to bed

I been wondering if the OCCUPY demonstrations
will be this generations Woodstock

Without the music
or the
brown acid

But an event that becomes
the touch stone
of a generation

If years from now
everyone
of a certain age
will say
"I was there"

If
it is
and
if
they do

Ask
to see
scars

Occupy Oakland

On a surf related note

Red Flag warnings this morning, which is a fire danger thing but it's because of the OFF SHORE winds we'll have for a few hours. Not a ton of swell in the water so there is the possibility it will be blown flat. To bad you can't bottle the stuff for use when we have a decent swell. But that said a quick study of the tide chart, the buoy readings and glance at the trees outside might get you a few hours of fall goodness. Good Luck.

Tuesday

2011-11-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

It's 5:30
It's cold
It's foggy
my back hurts
and I'm eating
peanut
M&M's

The weather is doing it's best multi personality disorder imitation this week
Fog
High NE winds on Tues / Weds
a chance of rain on Friday
All we need it is an order of toads, you know something Biblical.

Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.

Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies. Rivers and seas boiling.
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness. Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria.

Locals Only - If You Don't Live Here Don't Surf Here

2011-10-31T07:22:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of stories about
locals and localism

I consider myself a local
of several spots really
but more than just surf spots
as much as
the small strip of coast where
I grew up
and still reside

I like to think of a local is someone who works to develop,
over a period of time,
some personal sense of place of an area

With some knowledge of the history of a place.
A feeling for the geology of a place
how it is moving in geolocial time

In terms of the meeting of land and ocean
an how that interface changing
Since it is always in flux
always moving
there is quite a bit to take in

Then there is knowledge of the
flora and fauna of a place,
as well as
things like climate.
Are we in a drought this year?
Last year?

Explictly important to surfing and surfers
but equally important to fisherman, boaters etc
What swells reach the coast? What directions do they come from
Where are the swells born and what seasons produce which swells.
Oh and how is the wind that time of year?

So a more than passing knowledge of
the characteristics of a place

not just where the locals park
(although thats good too)

not just a drinking relationship
with the current pack of
supposedly Alpha males

should characterize
a true local

but that's just me

I hope the next thing
I read about locals
is that they organized

a local
"Clean up the Beach" day

or
maybe

saved
someone
from drowning
by paying attention
to some visiting non-locals
an by using their "local knowledge"
to identify a dangerous situation
and safely extracted a visitor from harms way.

As to behavior in the water
try to keep in mind
that no one owns the waves
not even the locals
and that everyone out
is there
for the same thing you are
so share
smile
hoot!

When you develop
a sense of place
you can appreciate
the beach
the water
the day
as much as the waves

Yes officer that is the weed that did it!

2011-10-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

The one just to the right of the shovel

So I decided that in order to do some more fall planting I needed to do little weeding.

I was almost done,

done being a relative term as one is never really "done" in the garden,

when something started screaming in my lower back.

The scene of the crime

I crawled into the house and I started following the usually protocols.

I'm not sure which is more irritating,

hurting my back or

having done it so many times

that I know what to do when I have done so

again.

Yes my little pet you must endure confinement for a few more weeks

So while my ice pack and my heating pad duel for BFF status I am out of the water.

Which for the rest of you sea creatures means that a great swell and good conditions is eminent

On the plus side I have that walk like a zombie shuffle down cold!

Frost on the Pumpkin

2011-10-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Mid fifties at night mid seventies during the day with a little swell but you need to catch it before the tide comes in.

Fall

I've seen this video everywhere on the net.

Well everywhere but here, so here it is.

Good Stuff

Get to the Beach! from ***** on Vimeo.

A short film by Alex Kopps for the Bodysurf Classic to be held at Ocean Beach on November 5th, 2011.

I especially like the left hand drag on the wave face.

Riding a mat

2011-10-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ken Samuels

Riding a mat is not like riding anything else,
but at times it's like riding everything else.

It's not like a body board.
Yes, you have fins. Yes, you are treated like a lower life form for no good reason. But there is a whole lot more going on with a mat that isn't with a body board. You do reshape the body board as you ride but not nearly to the extent as you do on a mat.

Mattitude off the top at speed, while reshaping the mat and getting ready for the next section

photo by Ken Samuels

It's not like a short board.
First there is no ER or ING so there is no mass marketing machine telling you how cool you are if you have the right tee shirt and surf the right way. But seriously, when you are riding a mat you are surfing the wave in a more intimate way than you could possibly do when riding a fixed fin hard board. You can't really say you reshape your short board on the fly to fit the ever changing wave face, can you. The "moves" are a lot more subtle and aren't really maneuvers at all but optimizations to fit the context of the wave at the moment.

It's not like a long board.
Well maybe it is more like a long board. Position surfing, working with the wave, an emphasis on trimming and finding those spots on the face that provide bursts of speed. And the tube riding, eh well then again, maybe it's not like a long board.

Sideways thru the end of the outside waiting for the inside section to set up

Photo by Jason of Daily Bread

It's "like jet-propelled bodysurfing".
This is right from the horses mouth. Some people say that a mat is a good thing to ride when it's big and bumpy. And it is a good thing to ride when it's big and bumpy. But it is even better when it is dredging and pitching. Don't take my word for it. Go look and any of the George Greenough's tube shots. Most were done while he was riding a mat. There is a feeling of connectedness with the wave that really helps when you are trying to sit in the tube. You can see the wave changing ahead of you and you can feel it, thru the mat, underneath you.

Photo by Harold Ward

(He's that dot in the channel remotely activating the camera on George's back. He has his hands full)

I have kept you a long time but here is one more comparison.

I surf in one of the more crowded areas of Southern California. But I surf alone. I surf it like it a early 60's longboard, lots of soul but maybe not that exciting to watch. But I am having a blast! As much fun as those first days as a super stoked grimmie in the shore break at Huntington. I hope to, someday, be a part of the mat revolution. Faster, more turns, more "total involvement". But right now it's like the 1950's or early sixties and I don't see another mat rider for miles and if I saw someone with a mat I would pull my car over and chat because I either know them or I share something very important with them.

So my final comparison is that mat riding is a lot like surfing used to be, a simple, joyful pleasure shared amongst friends.

Chiledub, Tom, some kook and Ken Dog. Post session conference

Americans listen up!

2011-10-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

It seems that the 1% have been reading the US Constitution and have come up with a few changes that they feel would be better for them.

Like where in says in the First Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Ok, so there is no law against free assembly

The work around is that when the people exercise their right to free assembly they can expect the local police to attempt to disperse the crowd around midnight with tear gas and "projectiles".

"Exxon Mobil posts quarterly profit of $10.3 billion, a 41% increase from a year earlier, on higher oil and gas prices." (source CNN) and still doesn't pay any income tax.

People say that the Occupy movement is just a bunch of kids that don't want a job and are just lounging around. That there is no clear message from the protesters.

I would like a government that represents the people and not just the corporations.

You might say that corporations are people too (the dumbest thing I've ever heard btw and just a dodge to get around campaign contribution laws) and should be able to go out and sell a product and make a profit.

OK, fair enough, but I want to go out and sell my time and make a profit too so why don't they pay income tax an I have too?

Why do the people pay their share to educate the population, pay for roads and police all the services.

The corporations take advantage of an educated workforce, manipulate the government, ship jobs overseas, get enormous tax breaks (enough to shelter 10.3 billion a quarter), get bailed out if their profit plan bankrupts their market segment all while the rest of us working people pay the tab.

Why are we bleeding the national treasury dry with multiple foreign wars?

Sometimes it comes to a point where you just can't turn away from the things you see happening.

What is that old saying?

"The more things change the more they stay the same"

This isn't over and I don't see it ending well.

I'll be back tomorrow with more surf related drivel.

Avant-garde

2011-10-26T06:07:00.000-07:00

The purpose of any avant garde movement is to change the way of seeing or participating in an act so that any preexisting barriers between the act and the participates/observers are broken down.

More simply, to remove barriers that keep observers from being included in the act itself.

Stay with me on this...

People started riding waves doing what we now call body surfing.

Stand up surfing, generally on longer boards, created a barrier of space because you were no longer "in the wave". In many ways surfers were just observers. Not that observing a wave is bad in some way. I spend more time "mind surfing" waves than really surfing them.

After decades of riding long boards there was a revolution of materials and thinking that led to the modern short board and the surfing associated with it.

Although the short board revolution aimed for total involvement, in the end it fell short and todays hottest surfing maneuvers uses the wave merely as a ramp. (Amusingly enough this is called "getting air", something mat riders already have)

Obviously all surfing has merit regardless of device but I think surfing on a mat strives to remove the boundary between what was wave and surfer/rider/observer and allows a more direct connection to the wave.

While we are talking about waves this may be a good time to point out that the waves we ride are only to a small degree moving water. Waves are really energy in wave form that storm winds transferred to the water. We ride them at their terminal end when they break on the shore but the same waves can be ridden out to sea as unbroken swells.

Something to think about the next time you ride an energy wave with your under-inflated air cushion.

Feel the energy, be the wave, you are the avant garde!

ONEMATWAVE from Vyusher La Kali on Vimeo.

A slow meander to the beach

2011-10-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

I normally surf in the mornings

after the stillness of a watched breath
the stillness of the new day unfolds
slight off shores

the dawn reveals nuggets of peaky goodness

But the Fall,

she has other ideas

foggy mornings
side shore winds

ridiculously fat morning tides

Fall suggests I change my tact

maybe a slow meander to the beach

arriving around the crack of noon

The tide is out

and the air temp

has risen to a respectable level

Light winds
have replaced
morning glass
with a slight texture

Too bad it's still flat!

Tom Waits' Private Listening Party - Bad as Me

2011-10-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

I have been listening to Tom Waits' for years, no make that decades and this gift with music is intertwined with his ear for language.

The between song batter with the audience is a performance piece all it's own and serves to tie the songs, their stories and Waits' performance character together in a complete package.

In recent years he has discovered the internets, and his video work on these album (did I just say album?) teasers are first rate.

Tom Wait's - Bad as Me is out today

If I had an IPod this would be on it.

Turbo Time II

2011-10-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have seen this before but it's good stuff and worth another look.

CH or HW at the SHF on SAT!

2011-10-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

So if other obligations keep you from seeing Come Hell or High Water at any of the previous shows you still have another chance tonight at the Surfing Heritage Foundation in San Clemente at 7pm.

Definitely worth seeing, when you add the handplace exhibit, the art and the Surfing Heritage Foundation collection, you can't miss it!