Home Sweet Home

 

      So, with the (temporary) shop all set up, I started Mark's board on Wednesday. Actually, most of that time was spent figuring out an outline. Mark had a template made up, but in the end decided to make quite a bit wider than he originally planned, which was a good call in my opinon, I've been a fan of wider boards ever since I bought my Cannibal "Rocketfish". So the dimensions he decided on were 5'7" x 19 1/2" x 2 3/8". After I pulled his template out to the desired width, I checked it with other templates I have, and coincidentally it was really close to the Boombastik, and by extension, my quad. So I decided to go off that again, I pulled in the nose just slightly and made the rail come into the tail a little straighter, but still retained a nice curve. I also moved the wide point back a bit, to add some pivot. So, by the time I figured that all out and cut out the one side, it was too late to use the jigsaw to cut out another template to flip for the other side.

     So I did that Thursday. The board is cut out and the bottom skinned and sanded (I used the Skil 100; it was nice). I planned to continue working on it this evening, and should be working on it right now, except I was having an off day with other projects which dealt in wood instead of foam. I kept on cutting things wrong and getting really frustrated. With wood, when I do that, usually the piece that has been cut wrong gets shattered to splinters and then I cut a new one. Knowing my self (kind of) and the way I can get when I get frustrated, I opted not to work on the board tonight because A)I do not want to shatter the blank to splinters and B)I can't just cut a new one if I mess up. So, thanks to Mark for his patience, work will resume tomorrow, when I am hopefully out of my serious delirium. Serious. 

     The water's finally warmed up enough where it's perfect without a wetsuit. Been getting out on the little swell we've had this week, and it's been fun in a carefree, shorebreak surfing kind of way. I picked up a pair of swimfins today, to start doing some bodysurfing and just plain old swimming during these semi-flat spells. But don't let anyone tell you it's been flat: I've surfed four times this week, and rode fun waves every time.

Are you big on the Pig?

     I took advantage of the Sun earlier today and dewaxed my boards, then I took this picture. From left to right: SF 004, SF 001, SF 003, Hobie "Phil Edwards Model" 9'0", push mower, Dewey Weber "DNT Series" 5'8", Cannibal "Rocketfish" 6'0".

       Look at this insect, and realize once again what a strange world we live in. Really beautifully bizarre.

       Ever since Pat posted this post over at Casualties of the Loudness War, I've had this song stuck in my head. It's Bruce Springsteen, of course, and the song is "Atlantic City," from his unbelievable 1982 album Nebraska. Now, even you Bruce detractors (you know who you are) have to respect it when an artist (in this case, being Bruce), releases a huge album (namely, The River), does a huge tour with huge shows at huge places (the River Tour being the tour in question), then releases a stark "folk" album recorded on a four-track at his home, and not just any album but an amazingly album full of the thematics of the darkness and tears that his previous work may have been touching on but not completely engulfing (well, except for "The River." That is one sad song.) So yeah, listen to this song, and every song on the album, again and again, and again once more.