Today's Thoughts

Monsterboards

Via Charles Vansant & New York Surf Film Festival 2010

Canuck Surfy Cinema Fest!

The End of the Game : Photos From A New York Office

Bland Consumption

Foto Found Here

My own personal season of buying continues its pace unabated.  I have not spent so much Monopoly Money since that one Steven Alan scraps sale a few years ago, and that pales in comparison.  Added to a new laptop computer (purchased a couple months ago) and a new Marc Andreini Vaquero (apparently he started shaping it yesterday) last night I added a brand new Patagonia 3mil wetsuit.  I am nearly done.  Only one fancy digital camera with accoutrements to tack on.  I tell myself it is all for the now, all for the future, all for art, all for productivity, all for creativity, all in an attempt to coalesce the interests and passions of my life into a powerful, self-improving ball of joy. No matter what the purpose, no matter how much I paint my justifications justified, I hate being a consumer.

People are trained- and massive efforts go into this- people are trained to perceive their identity and their aspirations and their value as people in terms of the things they amass.  Nothing else. And in terms of yourself, not anyone else... It's kind of interesting to watch the campaign against Social Security going on, and to see the attitudes.  I see it even among students.  And the reason certain people hate Social Security so much is not just that if you privatize it, it's a bonanza for Wall Street.  I'm sure that's part of it, but the main reason for the real visceral hatred of Social Security is that it's based on a principle that they want to drive out of people's heads- namely, that you care about somebody else... No. what you're taught from infancy is that the only choices you're supposed to make are choices of commodities.  It's none of your business how the government works or what the government policies are or how the community's organized or anything else.  Your job is to purchase commodities.
-  Noam Chomsky, 2004

Today's Thoughts

1. Via Facebook & Maria For Real 

2. Via I Like This Blog & Todd Fisher

3. Via Making Friends With Neighbors & Leah Deitrich

As Seen At The NYSFF #1

The Liveliest One

 

Near & Dear

Today's Thoughts

CHRIS PFEIL : IGOR

Chris Pfeil, old friend and true gentleman that he is, sent over some epic pics from early week, late storm Western Long Island goodness.  Enjoy pictures of waves you weren't surfing.  And if you were surfing them, enjoy pictures of yourself.

Today's Thoughts

This Morning's Desktop Goldmine

Today's Thoughts

Kurungabaa is a good read and this is an interesting way to report the news.

El Gato

Mark said he had a ringer of a keeper.  I don't know too many ringer keepers, and Mark is way better at soccer than me, so my curiosity was piqued. Sure enough, Mike shows up, introduces himself as Miguel and proceeds to win us the next handful of games.  Later on, when I was playing up at the park under the cold winter lights, we needed another outfield player and I thought, "I'll call that Chilean guy, Mike.  He'll want to play."  I get him on the phone and ask him if he's busy.  Snorting a touch, in that jovial Chilean way of his, he replied that he hates playing soccer.  He just likes playing in the goal.  I'd never met anyone like that.  It pretty much typifies him though.  Jittery, jangly energy, bottled up in rabid observation, breathing only until the moment he can hold his breath to take a shot.  There are some similarities between photogs and goalies I guess.  It's all in the reflexes.  The other day I saw Mike where I always see him: unexpectedly on the street.  I've never seen him anywhere else.  Always on the street.  Always eyes darting back and forth.  He recently had a show in the LES and I asked him if he had any surfy beachy shots.  "Sure man, of course!"

New York is for Surfers

Via Johnny P.

The Reluctant Troubadore

Somehow poetry and the search for a more just order on earth are not contradictory, and rational thought and dreams are not contradictory, and there may be something necessary, as well as ridiculous, in the odd activity of racing back and forth between reality and the world of dreams.
-Wallace Shawn

EBNY Winter Whine Countup #1

Today's Surf, Missed by one EBNY Contributor and not the other by Bryce Nihill

It is the very beginning of that very nefarious time of year.  The time of year that lasts until it is run through to it's inevitable and uninspiring end.  Yes, nefarious.  Yes, uninspiring.  It all starts with a few well-worn phrases, continues into some putrid cliches and ends up at the doorstep (ringing and knocking) of pure, vile self-pity. So here is the first of many.  Do yourself a favor, whenever you see that title, Winter Whine Countup #X, don't even read on. Just shrug your shoulders, sigh and know there is some poor sod, sitting in an entirely too-comfy office, bemoaning his fate.  Just don't despise him as much as he despises himself.  Whoops, there we go...

EBNY is apparently subconsciously subcontracted by large brewing companies to mindlessly embed their advertising. The damned account people, creative teams and testing wonks have our number, that's for sure.

Found here.

John Van Hamersveld Speaks, or, that is, Writes

John Van Hamersveld lived for a while smack dab in the middle of the halcyon days of Sixties and Seventies margin culture. Margins, the edges of things. Sometimes counter. Except of course, there's that "in the middle of" part. And the fact that boomer culture inevitable took over, influencing everything that would subsequently follow. So, not so marginal. His take on growing up in SoCal during that period will be a fascinating read. Coming late October.

Good Boy

a blatant commodification via mastastico

If You Beat Me Up, At Least Dress For Success

Every now and again it is important to augment our surf reportage (decidedly meek, wan and otherwise "non" in its own right) with some more anecdotal NuevaYorkish inspired crumbs. Another reason for those who hate the Yankees to hate even more.

Amazing Title Treatment...and some other stuff

Muchas Gracias Yata Pessino

Eight Dayz

Check out Wheels of Fire for some remenisce action...Claus Grabke features in the film plus on the sndtrk in his then band Eight Dayz...this one will take u back!

Stargazing ALA Rhombus

Had afew celebs hangin' around Rhombus the last coupla days....yesterday James Hetfield from Metallica was hangin' out the front checking out Jims "JunkMail" Postie mod, before their show at Rod Laver....I reckon he was keen for that bike Jim!....maybe he'll be back with his "BLACK" credit card!

Then I just got of the phone with Rich before who said John Butler had just been in & graced the Rhombus shores!

Who's next??...stay tuned for more celeb sightings at Rhombus.

cheers,

Gus.

ps. heaps of swell around Vicco & Tassie today!

It's Bloody Brilliant, That's What it is Son.

The Daily Lift

This time from this guy