Back

Man, it's been two weeks. Way too long. I think I've apologized enough and won't get into excuses. Though I have been cheating and started another blog related to the business we are in the process of launching. The business has been taking quite a bit of my time and I've basically put surfing aside in a big way. You think I would have learned not to do that by now; that's never a good thing to do. But, even worse is not knowing exactly WHY I've cast it aside and I'm beginning to feel like a kook. No matter how busy you get, you can always make time for a session. Now, if the weather and water were nice and warm would it be an issue? Am I, at nearly 38 years old, becoming somewhat "fair weather?" My gut tells me no, but why haven't I been out for an early morning session in a while? "Because it's fucking freezing" you say? True, but that never stopped me before.

Anyway, I'll stop. But I realized that by pushing myself to get back into the mix with the SB1000, it forces me to reconnect with surfing no matter what. It also gets me back to visiting all of your great blogs (which I've been missing). By not being in the mix, I missed out on Andrew Kidman at the Pod Room, or again tonight with Richard Kenvin at Patagonia Cardiff. So, no more. I either jump back in full-force or pull the plug entirely. I don't want to be the guy with one of those blogs that languishes forever (that I still check anyway?).

Hope you're all doing well and getting waves.

jb

Brian Blade

One of my favorite players. How many cats have this kind of feel? Any volume, any tempo, the guy is a master. If the mellowish intro. is too mellow for you, fwd. to around 2:20. But, better to watch the whole thing if you ask me.

Supa Busy

Minor hiatus for the rest of the week due to heavy workload. Luckily the workload is all stuff I love doing, there's just a bit too much at once. As such, haven't been able to put in the real time here at SB1000. Hang tight, I'll get around to doing it right again. Thanks.

jb

Let the Sun Take a Holiday

Rainy day, rain all day
Ain't no use in gettin' uptight
Just let it groove it's own way
Let it drain your worries away
Lay back and groove on a rainy day
Lay back and dream on a rainy day

Fogged in, rainy and windy here in SD. A nice to day to hang indoors and drink plenty of tea.

Cold

Is the water the coldest it has ever been in San Diego? Saturday was incredibly cold! I have lived here my entire life and don't remember it as cold as it was that day. When I waded in, it felt pretty damn cold on the feet, but when I began paddling I had to catch my breath. I looked over at my brother-in-law and his expression was a clear "Holy shit!" I hate wearing booties, but I will have to bite the bullet.

On that note, I wrote about the wetsuit search in the early fall. I tried my absolute best to get the best suit while adhering to my eco-minded intent. Obviously, the Patagonia and Matuse suits didn't pan out. As I mentioned, the Matuse wasn't cut for my tall self. And Patagonia never got a Large Tall in stock; I'm still on their waiting list. I put in two calls to small surf shops and they told me they'd call when some other suit options (Nineplus, Hotline) arrived in-store. I called back and then never heard from them again. As such, I utilized an O'neill hookup and ended up with the Psycho 1 for $104 brand new. Hard to beat that price.

This is the first O'neill I've ever owned. Overall, it's an alright suit. The flex is fairly good and the sealed seams are nice. Still, it isn't the warmest suit I've owned. Not bad, definitely dealable, but I don't know if I'd buy another one. I know a lot of people love these suits, this is just my own opinion. Also, the velcro on the neck is from HELL! That is the meanest, stickiest velcro I have ever seen. It loves to attach itself to every part of the wetsuit when you're trying to get it on or off. I always cringe when I have to pull it apart from the skin of the suit. Still, as an anti-flush deal it does work fairly well. The suit is 3/2, which is what I have always owned. Either I'm getting old or the suit feels a little thin-skinned. I can actually feel the coolness of the water through the suit, and I've never had this before. This is the first suit I've had with material that is almost spandex-like (this is an approximation, not an experienced comparison). It makes it kind of interesting getting into the suit as it's really grabby.

Alright, I'll quit my whining. Overall, it's a good suit, but I'd love a cozier option for the morning sessions.

Hope everyone had a fun, safe New Years. Thanks for checking in and sorry for the infrequent posts.

Hard to Watch

Had breakfast with my wife and daughter at Ki's (Cardiff) this morning. We were there waiting to meet up with some friends visiting from out-of-town. The surf wasn't epic, but there were definitely some very fun-looking waves. Now, my family is the most important thing in the world to me, but damn! Anyone who has dealt with looking at sparkling glassy surf while unable to partake knows that painful tension I'm talking about.

Now it's raining.

Today's Special…

…is Memphis Soul Stew.

1/2 teacup of bass
1 pound of fatback drums
4 level tablespoons of boiling Memphis guitar
a pinch of organ

King Curtis live in 1971. Not really the tightest version of this song. Check out Live at Filmore West for the real deal.

Welcome to the Family

A few views of the current lineup including the newest additions.
The Pavel 5-Fin is 7'11 with tapered stringer, Biofoam blank, and Marlin Bacon bamboo runners. The Andreini is 8'0 and indicative of the detail and craftsmanship Marc puts into his boards. I must add that he sent that L-Flex to me overnight when the board was shipped without it. I didn't expect it to be included. He goes above and beyond.

As you can see, the new additions haven't been ridden. I've only been able to get a couple of short sessions in lately and I've just been grabbing the familiar before I run out the door. Plus, I have this weird delayed gratification thing anyway. They'll be in the water when the time is right.

As always, thanks for checking in with the SB1000.

Airline Design

Vintage airline design is definitely one of my things, and I haven't posted anything about it yet. The above image with a mix of baggage labels was bitten from a blog I recently happened upon. Though the blog isn't surf-related, there's still a whole lot of good stuff to check out. A nice eclectic mix with design as a clear throughline.

If there do happen to be any airline geeks out there, the website he got the images from is right here. The site isn't much to look at, just a basic archive, but man it runs pretty deep. Good stuff.

*Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about surfing. There's much to talk about; I just need the time to do it justice. Thanks for hanging in there.

Treat, 1970

Early Santana always takes me back to growing up in PL, playing in bands, backyard parties, etc. And for me it is also linked to surfing in the winter. Not sure why. To me it's just the sound of that area of San Diego, and we listened to it constantly on the way to surf sessions at OB or the cliffs. Beginning in my early twenties I pretty much shelved my Santana records and didn't listen to them for a long time. I was too into raw soul, funk, hip hop, jazz, etc. Plus, I don't think Santana has recorded a decent record since the late 70's and I had listened to all of the good ones until they were indelibly burned into my brain. Maybe I needed a break. Recently I began listening to my old records again, and I have to say it's been nice revisiting the warmth and soul of Santana 1, Abraxas, Santana 3, Welcome, Lotus, etc.

Anyway, here's a Treat from 1970. A more obvious choice would be Black Magic Woman, or Santana at Woodstock doing Soul Sacrifice. Both of these are great, but Treat is just such a gem. I hope you enjoy it.

Beware

If you see Yoshie in the lineup, you better be nice. The Yubiwaza technique is some serious shit. She rides a 10 ft. Robert August Surftech with a leash and likes to get waves—a LOT of waves. She sits right on the peak and is really loud, talking about how things aren't the same as they were in the old days (2003). It can be annoying, but do not cut her off or you could get Yubiwaza'd.

Work

More working than surfing lately. This has lead to fewer new posts than I'd like, but I'll get back on it soon. Hope all is well.

On a Stormy Day...

Bill Evans sounds especially good. Check out any of his stuff on the Verve or Riverside labels and it is impossible to be disappointed. Great piano trio music. Footage from '65. Enjoy.

Newbreak The T-Shirt?

Am I the only one who thinks these guys are completely missing the mark? I don't think surfers want to walk around with the names of surf spots on their chests. Who's going to wear a shirt that says Newbreak or Big Rock? Not the people that are actually surfing those spots. Maybe they'll nail it in the Midwest. Or, maybe I'm way off-base and they'll be a success. Seems that anything goes these days.

Halloween 1976

Guess which one I am. RIP Evel