GAINSBARRE + PARIS

I found myself bored in a meeting the other day and my mind and pencil started to wander. I wondered what would happen if Serge Gainsbourg were alive today and he had the chance to meet Paris Hilton. The notion was probably spawned by an article I read in Vanity Fair that described a certain breed of guy in Hollywood who makes a name for himself by dating famous blonds. Gainbourg, or his drunken alter-ego Gainsbarre, would have surely gone out of his way to kick those losers in the balls and ridicule the shallowness of the chicks who seem to dominate the media these days.

If you don't believe me, check out this video, when Serge, having actually become the drunken Gainsbarre he invented, meets Whitney Houston.

Serge Gainsbourg - Requiem por un Con

What is this post doing on my surf blog? Not sure, really...

That Fall Feeling

The report said 62 degrees. Tried to surf sans booties and was denied; the water gave my feet an instant ice cream toe-ache. I guess there was an arctic upwelling of some kind. I grabbed booties, but was stuck with my hole-riddled 4/3 wetsuit. Had to duck maybe 10 waves on the paddle out and yelled at the top of my lungs after the third dive, my eyes bugging out of my head. But that didn't bother anybody. OS and I were the only two guys out.

Astonishingly, the next beach up had a gaggle of people flailing around. When I checked it half hour before, I stopped counting after tallying 60 soft toppers, spongers and kayakers all seeming to get in each other's way, despite the size of the beach and the variety of peaks. I got back to the ranger's gate quick enough to grab a refund and headed south, to where I was currently, ducking waves and marveling at the size and frigidity of the a-frames.

It was tiring to get to the outside. It reminded me of the paddles when fall starts to turn to winter and one wonders if he'll ever make it (and even considers turning around after that ninth wave over the head that turns you sideways, making you feel like you've made no ground). But I made it.

Waves were steep and wedgey and surprisingly easy to catch on my 2+1. The board seemed to be made for these waves. I started to figure out that if I crouched low on the drop, I would stick in the pocket and trim high and tight for the duration of the ride. I wouldn't outrun the curl and I wouldn't get swallowed up. I'd just stay tucked in. Like I'm about to do tonight, in an attempt to get rid of this sore throat I picked up from the freezing sea.

The Fall - Totally Wired

Closer to Perfect

Hints of fall
Push behind the swell
Summer still gives Gifts
Warm water
Smooth surfaces
Sunsets and smiles
Peaks here
And there
Pitching ahead
Ducking in
Feel the vacuum
Hear the echo
Go weightless

Then tumble...

Ride - Leave Them All Behind

Laid Back

I've been a little laid back on the blog.
Going surfing again tomorrow, though.
Until then enjoy this drawing from my travels...

Snoop Dogg - Gin and Juice

The Second Coming

The timing couldn't be better. Around the New Year I rented Stylemasters from Netflix and all my friends who came to town for the holidays (surfers and land-lovers alike) were addicted to it after a few late night screenings. Phrases like "Just you and your bros, getting tubed," and "Perfect V-land," were being thrown around with abandon at inappropriate times - like shortly before OS was escorted out of Sassy's in a headlock...

Now, on the eve before the very same crew of revelers from NY and LA land in the Pacific Northwest again, I find out that Stylemasters 2 is available on DVD. Shoots, brah, I need to pick up a copy...

Style Council - Shout to the Top

Note to Self...

New goal: Surf better. Of course I still want to get a legitimate tube, but after watching really good surfers in person last month, I realized that I still have tons to learn about what parts of the wave I should be riding on. I have this habit of being so stoked when I'm on a green face that I just fly down the line as fast as I can go, until I run out of speed. Only then do I think, "Shit, I need to do a cutback." The resulting turn, as you can imagine, is pretty anti-climactic. Seven inches of spray squirts off the outside rail as I struggle to get back to the steep part of the wave.

And I've also noticed that really good surfers spend most of their time in the critical part of the wave, either right next to the curl, under the curl, or even slightly behind the foam ball. The first image that comes to mind is Tom Wegener in full trim on a waist-high Noosa right where the lip is actually breaking on his legs but the board is zipping along the inner wall of the wave. His knees are actually getting tubed and he never gets knocked off!

So that's my simple goal for the rest of summer: to surf better and harness as much speed from the small stuff as possible by turning back toward the breaking lip.

And maybe boosting a totally sick air, or something...

Wire - The 15th

How to Disguise a Bad Ding Repair

Here's the first ding on my Mandala. It occurred when I dropped into a "bomba" at Panga Drops, realized that the wave was going close out, kicked out the back, and underestimated just how much speed I'd gotten off my bottom turn. When I looked down with my feet still on the deck, I discovered that I was about five feet up in the air over the back of the wave. By that time my legs were fully extended and I had no way of softening my landing by bending them again. First my heel hit the middle of my board with karate-like precision and force, then my ass hit it. At first I couldn't find the ding and I thought I could keep surfing. Then, to my dismay, I saw the 3-inch impression running down the stringer, cracking the glass deeply along the wood.

When I got back to Playa Gigante, where we had rented a boat, I was informed that there was a ding repair guy in town who was capable of handling the job. As a matter of fact, he'd just patched up a resin-tinted Hobie that had suffered exactly the same injury, and the job looked fine to me! Unfortunately, when I got my board back it looked like someone had spilled a cup of coffee in the middle of the glass job. Oh well. It's under the wax anyway...

In other news, I got a great surf in today. The Mandala still works like a charm. Waist to shoulder-high peelers--perfect glass the whole time. Weird thing was there was a massive school of fish under the water that was so thick, you could actually smell them. The seagulls and pelicans were having a bit of a bacchanal.

Nazareth - Love Hurts

I Saw, Therefore I Draw

I think drawing from memories of sights, sounds and feelings is much better than sitting in front of something and trying to get it just right. So every day of my summer vacation I tried to spend time on the balcony with my ipod, some paper, a box of colors and two beers, in an attempt to capture what I experienced that day. Sometimes it was as simple as leaves on the ground, sometimes it was as profound as the perfect wave. I ended up with a wide range of paintings/drawings that say more than words--or even photos--about the time I spent in Nicaragua. The condo didn't have any art on the walls, so I taped a picture above the beds each afternoon before my evening surf session.

Mogwai - Travel Is Dangerous

Memory Trigger 4

Sunburn peeling
Ear infection no more
Mosquito bites scabbed over (all 80 of 'em)
Sore muscles gone
Jellyfish sting fading
Ribs softening up
Rashes a thing of the past

But the memories are still strong.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Far Gone and Out

Art, Style and Surfing

There are some hot conversations being batted around about the validity of "art boards" and "hipster shops" in the Oregon surf blogging world. Go HERE and HERE to jump in on the healthy debate. I think if you read my blog you know where I stand on the subject.

Coincidentally, I just found a really great article on Mollusk NYC's blog about John Belik, an arty dude whose creative spirit helped him push the boundries of surfboard design. Check it HERE.

Cat Power - Hate

How Nau?

A few months ago I went on a little quest to ski, paddle a river, and surf all in the same day. I forgot to actually link to the resulting movie when it was finally posted on the Nau website. After seeing my sad first attempt at skiing, you may think that I "conveniently" forgot.

It was an amazing spring day and I was happy to be a part of it. One of my chums, Markarito, actually made the video and I contributed some drawings (and comic relief) to the production. The surfing sequence at the end is a pretty desperate attempt to catch a wave with the sun going down and angry storm surf tumbling in. Doc was there, he can vouch.

Hall & Oates - I Can't Go for That

PS - Finally back from Nica. Getting back to work and nursing a weird hip injury...

Shades of Nicaragua

Nicaragua is an amazingly colorful country. We took a lot of pictures between surf sessions. Dogs, crabs, pasture baseball games, kids fishing in their underwear. A trip to Granada during one of the lulls provided so much inspiration. The colonial city reminds me of how Havana must be: old open air markets on the streets, rusty bikes and old cars, Cuban cigars, and no matter how shanty the storefront, a layer of bright paint would provide a festive feeling that belies the country's current economic struggles. The rolling blackouts seemed to get longer in the days before we left. Thanks to my wife for the pics, who has an amazing eye, and to Tom of ptfotos.net for the unforgettable sunset on this page and the action photos from my previous posts.

Tunnel Vision: The Saga Continues

Hey Banditos,

Thanks for all the words of wisdom, kudos and judos. The small board WAS a bit touch-n-go on the bigger set waves, but I think my lack of shackdom has been purely the result of bad technique. I've reviewed the pictures of the big wave two posts ago a few times (it's still flat) and know that if I had taken a higher line and thrown on the breaks a bit I woulda been there. Just like Gaz and Doc said in the comments.

What really happened was that I looked up, saw the curtain start to fall, and made the mistake of trying to "punch through" the back instead of straightening out. The yellow t-shirt that I was sporting was ripped over my head and twisted tight around my arms (ala a good hockey fight), making it pretty tough to get back up for air. But I made it through the sandy foam in time. This guy from SF who we were surfing with said if I went for any more of the set waves I'd have to call my blog "Charger Fish."

Hey Nash, the Mandala suffered a pretty nasty gash right on the stringer. Not anticipating this flat spell, I hurried it to a Nica ding repair dude who patched it with a really big brown blob of fiberglass right in the middle. Oh well, back in the chilly PNW I'll always remember kicking out the back of a tropical Panga Drops "bomba," not realizing I was five feet up when I came down on my board. I'm sure it'll warm my heart.

Porky, I'll definitely still take you up on the Occster. Since riding the Manny 2+1 and my North Pacific step-up (which is also in the dusty hands of the ding maestro in a fishing village to the south) I'm starting to wonder how dangerous tri-fins can actually be...

P.S. If you were wondering, this post actually started out as a comment on the "Hollow-lujah" blog, but then it got so long I realized I should just give it its own entry.

Adios!

P.P.S. The series of shots above is another failed trip to Tooby Town. There are tons of insects in Nica. Did I mention that? One fairly rare breed is the stink bug. But here we have one captured on film.

The Clash - Sandinista!

Colorado Right

Mostly a-frames at Playa Colorado, which, when given the choice, I’ll take the left side of every time. But every so often I’d find myself perfectly set up for a right and have nobody on the inside. People would hoot and I’d have no other choice than to go for it. Actually, I’m finding rights more fun when they reel perfectly for 50 yards… not something you get often in Oregon.

Things have gone pretty flat here, and it looks like it’ll stay that way for a few days. We’ve done some sight seeing, including a trip to Granada and the volcanos of Ometepe. Today we might actually break down and pay for a round of golf. I’ll also be painting a lot to kill the frustration...

Hollow-lujah!

OS is insits that I put these pics up while I still have an internet connection, so here they are. For those who haven't been following my blog for the past couple years, my goal in life is to get shacked. And though it hasn't happened in the last week, I've gotten damn close. I've also paid for my boldness. Both of my boards (my North Pacific AND my Mandala) are now casualties of a psychosis I call "tunnel vision." That's why I'm riding my 5'8" in this series of pics. Wouldn't that be a great reality TV show? A show called "Tunnel Vision" where an novice surfer tries to get his very first tube? Imagine the carnage! Not sure if the camera crew would have the patience for the payoff of an actual barrel, but it would be great to have a coach like Occy or whomever you'd pic teaching a dude like me how to get the old in-n-out. Maybe the show could be called "In-N-Out Urge." No, I like Tunnel Vision better.

Anyway, so much for building up to the big waves. We've had some swell the past few days. I have more (less interesting) photos, which I'll post later when I'm not drunk on Tonas in a ramshackle bar surrounded by stray pigs, mosquitos, and torrential rain...

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

"Tell 'Em I'm Alright."

I should have guessed that in a relatively undeveloped country like Nicaragua, high speed internet would be as sketchy as the dirt roads we bounced along to get to Playa Iguana. But like the trip to get here a week ago, I finally made a connection today.

There were near disasters though, starting at the Portland airport, when Continental Airlines told us that they didn't allow surfboards on flights to any countries but Costa Rica. We ended up transferring to a Taca Air flight in Miami that allowed us to bring our sticks. Note to Continental: Surfing is one of the main tourist attractions in Nica, so it would behoove the airline and the country to work something out during vacation months...

On arriving to Managua several hours late, we found out our rental car had been given away (even though we'd called Budget and informed them of our delay in Miami). Luckily, we begged the agent to rent us a 4X4 truck (in place of the little Suzuki SUV we'd reserved) and we were only held back one night by all the mishaps.

And then there was the lack of internet, which has really slowed down my Sissyfish posts and also given my headaches trying to get any "real" work done.

Now about the surf: We're staying very close to a swell magnet called Panga Drops that is kind of a right reef break over rock and sand. It looks like a beachie, but it breaks pretty damn far outside. The waves have consistently been overhead there since our arrival, pushing the head and a half range. The pics above are from there. I've managed to snag a few lefts there as well. You can always count on my trying to do that.

The next spot down is a beach break called Playa Colorado. Things started out pretty friendly there a week ago, with waves in the shoulder to head-high range. They were playful and easy at times, breaking right and left, with potential for the cheeky tube here and there. There were only five guys out and one was a dude I recognized from snapshots in the Surfer Magazine forum. He has a big beard, dreads, and rips on a Pavel Speed Dialer. He goes by the handle "Liquid." He was really cool, coaching me on how to get barreled. He told me that he looks at it like fishing: He'd rather see me get my first tube than score 10 himself. Liquid, if you're out there, thanks. I'm still working on it and when I do, you'll hear about it and be credited here!

A few days later, the real swell arrived.

Colorado was throwing head-high plus barrels with regularity. I got my ass handed to me with regularity. I saw a local kid get a full stand up tube and get spit out waving shakas in the air. There have been some special days, and we have two weeks left.

Though I have had my share of amazing waves, I've been struggling in the huge stuff. I have tucked into some heaving, dredging tubes and been swallowed up alive then sent over the falls and into the sandy bottom. My brand new Art Colyer-shaped rounded pintail is dinged to hell after a really bad wipeout at Pangas last night. Two fins are broken completely off and there's a massive hole in the deck and bottom. Out of commish. Pics to follow soon.

Tonight I'm taking a boat to Manzanillo, the famed left point break. I'm bringing my Mandala 2+1, which has been my daily driver down here. Wish me luck!

PS: To build some stoke after the humbling/humiliating surf sessions of the past couple days, I watched "Morning of the Earth" from start to finish this morning. That's where the title of this post comes from.

Mini Shakas

Wow. You'll have to forgive me for the lack of posts. As you can see, I've been busy. Got a first look at "Baby Chum" today and was pleasantly surprised to find the little gremlin throwing a mini-shaka our way. And no, we're not finding out the sex.

In other news, I've been packing my bags for Nica the last couple days and setting myself up for a nice little vacation. Waves looked really good yesterday where we'll be "shacking" up... I'll make up for the less frequent blogging starting tomorrow.

Adios!

The Knife - Heartbeats
(You've heard the song, but have you seen this amazing video?)

I Heart Mollusk NY

Hard to believe that around this time yesterday I was stumbling around Williamsburg, Brooklyn looking for the new Mollusk Surf Shop. But I was. And I found it perched on a corner loading dock near the Hudson River, covered in bright graffiti. I have to say that visiting the little shop was one of my favorite parts of my New York trip. Tyler and John from Mollusk SF were there helping Mike open the East Coast version of their legendary store. We ate shaved ice from a street vendor and talked surf (or lack of surf) shooting the breeze about boards and surf blogging. I was really happy to find out that some New Yorkers read my blog. Then I bought a t-shirt and a copy of Glass Love and headed around the corner to joint called Surf Bar (that actually has sand on the ground) where Gee and I grabbed Red Stripes in the sun. A perfect way to transition from the city back to the surf here in Oregon.

Mollusk New York is located on the corner of Metropolitan Avenue and River Street in Brooklyn. Stop by for their opening party July 7. Thanks to downtownfb for the hot tip...

The National - Mistaken for Strangers

Bad Apple in the Big Apple

Hey there. Just an update that I'm currently in New York City, doing my annual art licensing thang. Sorry for the lull in updates! If anybody who reads this in New York wants to surf this weekend, let me know!

Chum

Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out

Sissyfish Summer Mix

SIDE A
1. ELO - It's a Living Thing
2. Robert Pollard - Caught Waves Again
3. Pixies - Ed Is Dead
4. Love is Laughter - Corona Extra
5. Palace Music - Gulf Shores
6. The Ramones - Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
7. Brian Wilson - Surf's Up
8. Pinback - Boo

SIDE B
1. Neil Halstead - Seasons
2. Surf Punks - My Wave
3. Morcheeba - The Sea
4. Shuggie Otis - Island Letter
5. Yo La Tengo - Black Hole
6. Kevin Baker - Riding the Wind
7. Menomena - Oahu
8. Devandra Banhart - Some People Ride the Wave


I love making mix tapes. As a matter of fact, I love it so much, it's what I did for a job during the dotcom boom. It's a hobby I haven't been able to shake since youth, so I started a cd mix club called The Woodpex here in Portland. This is a mix I never actually submitted to the club, so I thought it might be cool to post it here, with some original album art (that I just finished).

Some of the music choices are fairly obvious, some are rare gems. It's the modern age! Go ahead and print out the art and make yourself the mix! Or let me know if you have some better suggestions for tunes...

PS: Yes, I'm riding a blue diamond tail in the drawing. Can you tell what I'm thinking about?