Snow!

     Well, a little anyway. Enough for Henry to love it, and for it to look nice, at least for a little while. Once again, haven't been keeping up with this blog. For the few people who check read this, and for myself, I'll try to keep up on it more.
     I have been slowly making my way through 009, which can be seen in the photo above standing in our dining room lammed, hotcoated, and awaiting sanding, which maybe I'll get to this weekend. It's funny, I find it takes me so much time to begin the next step on a board, and that it sits for a while, but then when I actually start I enjoy it so much I wonder why it took me so long. There's always something going on, I guess. That's just how it goes.
     This is the first board I've done with epoxy, and I have to say I love it. It wets out on the cloth so much easier, especially when you microwave the resin first to heat it up, and as a result it uses less, so weighs less the kind I used (Resin Research Fast) allows plenty of time to work with it. The mixing ratio is always 2:1, no matter what temperature, so it does away with the charts and figuring that comes with traditional poly resin. It has no odor, which means no ventilator, and I can bring it inside to let it cure so I don't have to keep the shop heated. Also, the lack of odor, along with a carefully placed tarp, would allow me to glass in the house, thus saving the money of heating the shop at all, if only I could convince the Missus. It cleans up with vinegar and gojo citrus handcleaner, which puts an end to harmful-for-me solvents. All in all, it's great stuff, and I can't wait to use more of it.

The Mighty Nauga!

     I like the Feelies alot. I first got into them after reading Rick Moody's 1992 novel Garden State, and have since been a fan. However, I often find myself listening to their first album, Crazy Rhythms, and eschewing their sophomore album The Good Earth. I found that record at a thrift store a couple weeks ago (in a lucky record haul that also included the Beatles' Help! soundtrack, Pet Sounds, Led Zeppelin I, Kinks Kronikles, some Mitch Ryder records, and a bunch of other good stuff), and after listening to it I wondered why I haven't more. Also, their new album is pretty good. 

ON A FINAL NOTE, in trying to catch up with all the movies we didn't get to see this past year, we watched Another Earth last night. It was an interesting and well-done science fiction film, but sci-fi in a way that uses the sci-fi element as a backdrop and instigator, a MacGuffin type thing, that drives the very human drama that plays out between the very human characters. More psychological sci-fi than aliens-and-rayguns sci-fi. I would definitely recommend it.

VOTE!

     Should have posted this a while ago! Vote HERE for School of Vintage as Ideacafe's "Entrepreneur of the Year." If they win, I'll give everyone who voted from my blog a free Strange Flora surfboard*. Vote every single day! Thanks!

      Also, buy some beets and make this beet soup. Throw in some carrots and things and you won't regret it!


     I was going to post something from Tom Waits' newish album Bad As Me, but I came across this promotional video, so I decided to post that instead. I'll post a song tomorrow, when it's more à propos.  

*Not really. 

Merry Christmas!

     Just quick post on this cold Christmas morning to say Merry Christmas! Hope all is well with you and yours on this clear, cold morning. Enjoy the day!

 

     A good Charles Dickens quote I read in a short article in the NY Times this morning on the author and Christmas: 

“Lost friend, lost child, lost parent, sister, brother, husband, wife, we will not so discard you!” he wrote. “You shall hold your cherished places in our Christmas hearts, and by our Christmas fires; and in the season of immortal hope, and on the birthday of immortal mercy, we will shut out Nothing!”

If you like Christmas music in any way (which, if you don't, you're a monster), you must listen to Sufjan Stevens' Songs for Christmas collection. Absolutely one of the best. 

I'll Give You The Evil Eye...

Pretty funny,  if not the best video quality on some. Check the 8:00 mark for one of the funniest. No, I have not seen the Muppets movie yet. But I probably will soon. Also, 009 is coming along. Been busy buying bikes, fixing bikes, surfing, playing  football, hosting Thanksgiving, riding bikes, going to Portland, eating too much (see: Almighty Cheesus Burger), driving home, more working on bikes, cleaning up the shop, trying to stop Henry from eating very dead squirrels, playing with our new camera, riding bikes, etc., but I did the finishing touches on 009 last night, so I should be glassing by the end of the weekend. First time using epoxy, should be interesting. Surf's up tomorrow. Oh yeah, this song rules:


The Triumphs, with their pretty intense surf track, "Surfside Date."

I'd Rather Be a Functioning Cog in Some Great Machinery Serving Something Beyond Me

    Started working on 009 last week. I had cut the blank out of the EPS block a while ago, and I finally got around to gluing the stringer in. Last time I glued up a blank, I tried to stack bricks on top of the two pieces to weigh them down, which, while working in the end, was a big hassle and ended with lots of Gorilla Glue on my hands. This time, I actually thought for a minute, and used the system above, which was very, very easy. 

     I went with a template that was very close to 008, except I pulled in the outline a bit, and filled in a diamond tail where the fish would have been cut out. It's 5'5", which is what I thought that 008 was, except when I measured said board, it turned out to be 5'3". Don't know how that happened, but I like knowing that I've been surfing (and having tons of fun) on a board that short. I just like short boards. 

     The board is close to being finished, just have to do some final shaping touches and it'll be ready for glassing. As much as I like surfing keels, I think I'm going to make this one a quad, maybe canard quad cutaway fins or just regular quad (most likely the latter at first, since I already have them). I'm pretty excited to try this one out.

Really great song off of Fleet Foxes 2011 release Helplessness Blues. Check the album out, it's pretty good.  

Back!

Sorry about the lack of posts recently, I've been kind of busy doing all sorts of things. You know, getting the yard ready for sod (which looks way better than white stones in our backyard), painting the house, surfing, reading tons (too much) hardboiled detective fiction from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, and, oh yeah, getting married.

     That's right, after seven or so years, Jeannine and I finally got hitched on Oct. 29th at the Noyes Museum in Oceanville. I couldn't be happier and feel unbelievably lucky to have such a beautiful wife who somehow puts up with me and all my ridiculousness, and fully supports all of my interests (including the time- and money-burgling hobby of surfboard fabrication, to the extent she actually won't let me sell some surfboards when I think I want to).
     It was a wonderful and wild night, and to anyone planning a wedding, I recommend the idea of the "never-ending" cocktail party, instead of having a sit-down dinner. I was a bit skeptical of the idea at first, but it definitely makes for an evening that is non-stop fun. Also, and ice cream and waffle bar is key.
     Thanks to my amazing bride for doing a huge majority of the preparation and planning for our wedding, and thanks to everyone who was there! We're just sorry we weren't able to invite everyone we knew, but that's the way it goes.
      Now that it's over, I hope to get back to the board-creation fairly soon, especially with the early-darkness cold months upon us. Stay tuned...

Wedding Tunes:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, "Storm," off of their 2000 post-rock powerhouse Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven. The wedding party walked down the aisle to this, we actually just used the first 6 or so minutes, but the entire song is more than worth a listen.


Neutral Milk Hotel, "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," off of their everlasting 1998 album of the same name. The is what Jeannine walked down the aisle to. 


The Zombies, "This Will Be Our Year," off of their 1968 masterpiece Odessey and Oracle. We walked away from the altar to this after we were wedded.


The Paris Sisters, "I Love How You Love Me," their 1961 Phil Spector produced hit. This was the first dance tune. 


Charles Mingus, "Better Git Hit In Your Soul," off of one of my favorite jazz albums of all times, the 1959 Mingus Ah Um. Introductions were done to this.

Things I Love About Fall