further

the popularization of surfing continues its spread across America. the WHO has announced that surfing is getting close to becoming a pandemic and will likely declare it a level 5 in the coming days.

FARC turns 45

that is what I call perserverance!

death

keep on runnin

style = chase hawk

5 things

1. favourite blog at the moment is the Esteyonage
















2. best surf writing coming from North America on the web is Postsurf: unfiltered thoughts on Surf Culture by Lewis Samuels. check it here postsurf.com

3. best girl in the world is my lickle B

4. favourite food is arepas con carne mechada, fried egg and queso blanco (or light feta in Halifax)














5. and daily runs this week for relaxation and trimming to fit into the new thruster

happy birthday Mr T.

..and dammit it's flat. but it's sunny here in the north Atlantic so for that I must give thanks.

if you haven't already check out the rad new blog talkin' story. Mick Sowry of Safe to Sea and Musica Surfica has a great story there of surfing in Europe and chatting with Dora about Charlie Manson.

seen

as far as the eye can see

bike ninja vs. mr. perfect bicycle commuter man

over the last few weeks there's been an increase in bike commuters on my daily route. it's expected in spring just as there are more surfers in the water. there's one guy in particular, a middle-aged man astride a shiny new sporty street bike with flat bar and disk brakes, one of those homogeneous jobbies from one the big three bike companies. anyways, today he called me out for my swiftness at charging the yellow. I could hear him behind me, scolding in "that is ridiculous" kinda tone.

so what did I say? nothing. I just sped off on my merry way as I do every day. been communing to work by bike since 2005 when we lived in PDX. my friend Drew in PDX, originally from D.C., had always commuted and had been hit by cars twice -neither time his fault and accidents quite serious. Drew never followed the "traffic laws" on his bike.

let's face it. laws that state that cyclist should obey the same rules as motor vehicles are absurd. cyclists cannot accelerate like a motored metal box therefore they can be overrun, especially on narrow streets. a bicycle weighs nothing compared to even a small car or motorcycle so accidents caused by cyclists tend to cause little harm. and most obvious of all a bike is NOT a motor vehicle and should not be treated as such.

I know if I'm self righteous. why else have a blog? but I also value self preservation, especially in a city like Halifax where the driving public hates cyclists. so the new commuter on his shiny bike can kiss my ass, I'd rather be a bike ninja than a cripple.

happiness is love

some time during my mid twenties I realized that the quality of my life was based on the personal relationships I had with my family and friends. it was evident then as it is now that as a social being, my ability to give and receive respect and love and to share ideas was what gave me a sense of fulfillment.

these guys at Harvard took 72 years to figure this out but I guess any time is a good time. this is a great video if you have six minutes.

MP and mental illness

in my current job I work on projects that assist developing countries with mental health infrastructure. this includes basics like legislation and policy to protect people with mental illness, but also training and education, administration and development of clinical programs.

the challenge with mental illness is that there is a lot stigma attached to it whether it be for cultural or religious reasons. unlike cardiovascular illness, the treatment of mentally ill by the public is almost always at arms length and with a lot of accompanying fear.

MP as I understand became schizophrenic. this disease usually appears during adolescence (13 to 25 years of age) and is very difficult to treat. I don't know much about Peterson but it will be interesting to see how the surf media portrays his condition.

Searching for Michael Peterson Trailer from jolyon hoff on Vimeo.

style

the blue flame

a fleeting moment in the life of old blue. she made the distance across the continent twice with trailer in tow, boards on the roof, and bikes hanging off the deck lid. thanks Gramps!

mondays

5.9' @ 9 seconds
wind WNW 7 to 10 kts
water temp 40.5 °F
air temp 39.7 °F

waves -well pretty damn good if you ask me.

paddled out at a quarter to six. black was already there -says he paddled out and it was too dark to see if it was workin.

well it was workin.

I got one of the longest waves I've had in weeks.

he got out before seven and for the next forty five minutes I had it to myself. I looked around in awe. I let a few go by me so I could feel myself bob up and over the lips while sitting on my board. I tried taking off deeper each time and got stuffed about half the time. the smaller ones were better -way better. but I kept paddling over in front of the boulder and waiting for the ones that had the overhead take-offs. they'd line up far to the west and as I popped up and looked down the line I knew there was now way I'd make it.

funny how confidence plays tricks on you. towards the end of my time in the water I fell on a few and the ones I caught I'd squander. so my mood turned from the elation of the first wave to self pity for falling off perfect waves.

and the whole time the marvel that is a sunrise in the Maritimes was unfolding in front of me. black and white ducks flying low and some landing in the line-up, oblivious to the swells. down east I could the plumes coming off the backs of swells breaking on the beach. the sky mostly clear finally after days of low slung clouds and the grass green like emeralds and growing finally after a long long winter.

now I am ready for work.

que comida!

simmering rice with saffron, shrimp, and chicken stock with white wine


finished and cooling with digby scallops, squid and shrimp. under the seafood is chicken, fresh spicy chorizo, olive, capers and other secret goodness. this was a dinner request for Blacks birthday. we had a few beer as well.


my little B is making her favourite wrapped food. chicken tamales. we had to scramble all over town to find the husks.




food weekend

happy birthday Black

one year older means you possess a bit more wave knowledge, more endurance, and probably become a little more curmudgeonly.

thursday surf

JB picked me up at 5:15. we were in the water before sunrise. the waves were small but secret sandbar plain sight number 5's was doin its high tide thing again. warbly and shifty. not as good as the last time I surfed it. still if you got on the ones that walled towards the east you could make the inside section. just a few little pumps and huggin the steep little face before it closed out over the cobbles and dry sand.

maybe one day I'll get to the point where I go and look at it and decide it's too junky and go home. for now though if I think I can ride it then I'm on it. and now at work having already had a full day I feel at peace and completely happy.

Peta

good morning

was in the water at 6 this morning. took my log and surfed a right point. the waves were consistently waist high but it was a mixed swell and the peaks were scattered. there was a slight northwest wind when I first got in the water and it gradually increased but caused no harm. high tide was at 5:30 so the waves were a bit mushy. after about an hour and a half I came in. I looked over at the little sandbar that was working at high tide a week ago and sure enough it was workin again. it breaks right on shore but there's a fast wall for about twenty or thirty yards. I won't show up at high tide again without my shortboard.

rode my bike in to work and was at my desk by 9 and I've already had a full day.

danger

fires are done. some folks lost homes. sad yes it's true. luckily most who lost homes were the city's rich and elite. they can rebuild. one guy on the news almost started crying over the loss of his 6000 square foot home. waaa.

surfed saturday and sunday with Blacks. nothin epic but a blast nonetheless and my shoulders and back feel like I got a work out.

if you've taken a few waves on the head then you must certainly know what this green bandit is in for. the wave is California's infamous Wedge. click on the photo for the full 100.

"scrub it kook."

fires

here's two shot's take by my friend KK from her balcony yesterday. the fire is still raging.