How to survive the economic crisis

Surf More

Skateboard more even if you have to climb a fence.



Buy lots of surf/skate stuff to help your local surf economy
If your food budget is strained, make sure you Eat Republicans they are big, fat and taste like Oxycontin

We hold these truths to be self evident

Jefferson in his original draft said:
We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable.
I think he was working on the Church/State separation thing. Either way my point today is to surf anyway. You never regret it.


When I pulled up it was small and uninviting. the kids sprinted for the lineup. I stayed on the stairs for a bit.

Then this guy who was changing out of his wetsuit next to me came over.

Guy...(in heavy French accent) 'I might be out of place but you should go out. Be with your kids. You will feel better after you surf'

Me...'OK!' In any other place or situation he would be out of place. But as soon as he said so, I was on. I knew he was right.

So I went out. Erik Baldwin pulled up to start his coaching session with Lucas. Lucas was stoked and surfing well. Ed came down and it was fun. I came out of the water a completely different person then when I entered.



It was fun. I ran into Paul and Mary Fleener and Paul gave me my coveted ASL(Avocado Street Local) hat!


"I only regret not doing the things I would have done with gusto and passion" Chaucer

No it was Captain America

Roger Ramjet

Rule #34 Shark Week and other Forbiden Media

Being a surfer and meeting several people as sales rep, there are a few conversations that generally will come up.

Non Surfing Customer....'Do you wear a wetsuit, is it cold?'

Me....'Yes we wear wetsuits almost year round.' (I don't tell them that I am obsessed with wetsuits and spent several hours, days and weeks thinking, buying and blogging about them.)

Non Surfing Customer....'Do you see any sharks?'

Me.....'No I don't'

Here is where it is tricky. Most people are obsessed with sharks and shark week, jaws, etc. I have seen sharks, twice. I don't admit it often or even to myself because of the paranoia involved.

The first time I saw a shark I was in Mexico in the late 70's at a beach break with a friend out. and there it was. We were the only guys out and we sprinted to shore. I saw the fin and spent years trying to convince myself it was a dolphin.

The second time I had an encounter was at Scott's Creek up north of Santa Cruz. Scott's Creek was the big wave spot before Mavericks was known to anyone but Jeff Clark. I was surfing a head high day and a great white probably about 10 foot came through the line up. It was crowded and the guys started yelling "Shark!, Shark!" I sprinted in. Again I saw the fin and tried to convince myself it was a dolphin but it was a shark and a great white at that.

When Jaws came out everyone of my friends went to see it. However, I didn't.

This is all I am committed to see on Jaws. After the movie several of my Friends did not surf for a few weeks. They were so freaked out. I being paranoid about most things knew this going in and was happy to stay at home watching TV that night and surf for the next several weeks.

So yesterday I am in Long Beach talking to a chemist who is completely nuts about sharks. He was telling me how they are going further into to the science of their killing instincts.

Me, I propose the rule....Stay away from Shark Week you will thank me when you are surfing alone some day and you are not focused anything but the waves.

The It

I saw my Friend Jason last weekend , who I haven't seen since I was in El Salvador a few years ago. It was one of those surf trip moments we all have when you are in the middle of nowhere surfing some secret spot and there is someone from your lineup at home just sitting there like we are going to go to Roberto's at session end.

Anyway he was riding this wild board and absolutely killing it! They call it the 'It'. So as I was coming home from Los Angeles early this morning I snuck into Jack's in Huntington and saw an 8'6" model.

Now with no knowledge of how boards work or what the hell I should ride I want one!

Most of the time I get a custom surfboard the shaper takes one look at me and shapes me a 3.5 inch thick tank even if I bring in a 9' high performance longboard it comes out as a 9'6" monster tanker. "This is the board that will work for you!" they tell me....

My new Hero Katrina Vanden Heuvel

Katrina Vanden Heuvel is my new hero. Watch her take Karl Rove for a beating worse than a bad day at Tehupoo.
My favorite part is how she addresses him calmly as "Mr. Rove" Unlike the usual theatre of shouting crazy stuff at eachother for ratings, he had to talk with an intellegent strong woman who made him wish he was just taking this beating below at chopes' not getting undressed on national television.



Dark Lord of the Sith Karl thought he must have been on 'Fox and Freinds' or Hannity's show this morning until he came face to face with Katrina.

The take down was so awsome I fell in love with her on the spot. I had to tell my wife that Katrina has edged out Halle Berry making it to the it to the top of my star crush list.

(Sorry Halle we will always have 'Die another Day')




Even better, she is the publisher of The Nation check out the article of Surfers vs. the Superferry
Surfers vs. the Superferry By Jerry Mander & Koohan Paik