Spank My Wookie

For the past two sessions, I've been working on walking to the nose. Granted, I fall about every time, I did make some progress and got to about a foot and a half from the nose. I can say it's weird to look down and not see any foam underneath you. It definately feels a little faster when I am close to the tip.

So yesterday, I was out and was able to snag a majority of the waves passing through. It wasn't all that big, maybe knee high with some waist high sets. But I figured out the position I needed to be in, and just took off. There were a lot of people to navigate through, but that's an art in itself and I need to perfect that over the couse of time. What can I say about the rides? Well, I figured out I can takes some steps and get longer rides if I am in trim. That's of course nothing new, but I need to perfect it. I did get a few rides where I felt comfortable to take a step towards the nose. Most of the time, it was simply one step and then the board was unstable. I wonder what else I need to be doing?

Tonight, I went out for a glass-off session. Not too many people out and I was able to a good share of waves in an hour. There were some cross stepping moments as well. I almost made it to the nose, and even did some cutbacks. I had some long rides and a lot of then just gave me the biggest shit eating grin.

I've noticed that lately I been paddling a little different. I'm using more of my shoulders and digging in. It's a little weird to explain, but it feels like I can make more distance that before. I don't feel like I'm scratching the water as much anymore.

Oh yeah, one more thing, I have enough wax on my board now that there are actually some bumps showing. It's dirty as hell, and the area my chest is at is black. But I don't think I'm going to re-wax it until I can get to the tip!

If it sounds like I'm just blabbering, it is! I'm trying to write this while watching Sprout at the same time.1

Posted by Baldwin at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

At the beginning of last year, when I embarked on this journey of surfing, I decided to get a 9 foot performance longboard. Well, actually, I just needed a back up board and didn't what the hell I was looking for. So for a long time, I ended up hating the board because I cannot paddle it, cannot get into waves, and just sucked ass.

Today I finally decided to give that board another shot. It still feels light, and a little more sluggish than m regular log, but the difference is that today, I got into waves with it and it didn't feel all the foreign anymore.

I had both my boards with me today. My brother took the Hynson at first and then we switched mid-session. The rides I got were not that spectacular, but I got into the ones I wanted and didn't get frustrated. Now I just need to practice more on it and start to have fun!

I guess you can call that progress?!!!! I'll probably take it out again tomorrow. Maybe get into a few more waves.

Posted by Baldwin at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ok, the term niceness is borrowed. thanks for all the surf inspiration though! I had a few days of nice south swell juice. Not too much juice, but enough swell lines marching consistently onto those underwater sandbars; flipping over and creating nice shoulders for us to play on. Earlier this week, when the south was coming in at 2ft - 15-16 seconds, it was damn fun! It was enough swell to satisfy a mid summer nights dream, admist the afternoon onshores that blows till September comes around. I surfed my home break and caught some nice righties and lefties and everything in between. I even started doing cutbacks and cranking full left hand turns after making those right handers to get back into the curl.

Today I went out regardless of conditions. But the wind died down and we were left with some windswell action and some south swells did peer through. There were a lot of those sneaker clean up sets that just wiped everyone out. I had some of the longest right handers today and I felt lively on them. Up and down the face; still can't perform a backside cutback though. The best part was making a clean exit before the front closed out on me. To top it off, I even hooted for myself on a few of those. Then just for kicks, I waited for the sun to go down, and it was about 9 o clock. The joys of those evening glass-off session where the water is warm, sun is out, and smiles to go around!

Posted by Baldwin at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So after my brother sliced off a part of his forehead on Sunday, he decided to sit at the beach and watch me flail around. The conclusion of his constructive criticism? "You're stiff, not natural, need to crank the turns more!"

Granted I was surfing backsided, ground swell was kicking, 2-3 minute lulls, about waist high, consistent, and clean. So I surfed stiff. Damn it. Here i was thinking I made some progress on the way I ride. Let's the positives...consisten take-offs more or less, bottom turning, some miniscule cutbacks, what else? oh yeah. Stiff..

Ok, so I need to pop up and crouch some more, as well train myself to look ahead and not down. I've been able to look up a few more times than before, but still not enough. "Trust thy equipment, son!" That's the new motto. Oh yeah..and a few more steps up to the tip won't hurt either. I can get one, maybe two down. Then I just fall over, or the board sinks.

What will tonight hold? stay tuned.

Posted by Baldwin at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

Umm...When I graph where I've been, its not that many places. Time to travel more!

Posted by Baldwin at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't care if it rains or freezes
'Long as I got my plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
Through my trials and tribulations
And my travels through the nations
With my plastic Jesus I'll go far

/ D - / G - / D - A - / 1st, 2nd / D A D - /

Plastic Jesus, plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
I'm afraid He'll have to go
His magnets ruin my radio
And if I have a wreck He'll leave a scar

/ D - - - / - - A - / D - / G - / D A D - /

Riding down a thoroughfare
With His nose up in the air
A wreck may be ahead, but He don't mind
Trouble coming He don't see
He just keeps His eye on me
And any other thing that lies behind

Plastic Jesus, plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
Though the sunshine on His back
Make Him peel, chip and crack
A little patching keeps Him up to par

When I'm in a traffic jam
He don't care if I say "damn"
I can let all my curses roll
Plastic Jesus doesn't hear
'Cause he has a plastic ear
The man who invented plastic saved my soul

Plastic Jesus, plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
Once His robe was snowy white
Now it isn't quite so bright
Stained by the smoke of my cigar

If I weave around at night
And policemen think I'm tight
They never find my bottle, though they ask
Plastic Jesus shelters me
For His head comes off, you see
He's hollow, and I use Him for a flask

Plastic Jesus, plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
Ride with me and have a dram
Of the blood of the Lamb
Plastic Jesus is a holy bar

Posted by Baldwin at 01:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

haven't blogged about surfing in a long time. thought i'd put down some words about my latest sessions

small south swells hitting the coast
fetch is not allowing to wrap around all beaches
lots of trimming and lots of backside goodness
cross-step beginnings, one step success, two step and i plunge
drop in, crank a back side turn into trim, then slow cutbacks
reach the bottom and crank another back side turn
feel the board just bite into the wave
rails catch the inside parts and just latch on like railroad tracks
hear the sound of water being dispersed and dissapated from the waves
smiling faces, stoked to play and thankful for the playfulness

Posted by Baldwin at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So is there something I should say? I guess so cuz it's been a while since my last post. What have I been up to? Oh yeah...that's right. I went to this place called Thailand. Of all my travels, and that is not much added up, is my favorite place so far. Bangkok was an amazing sprawl of an Asian metropolis. Legendary thail food abounds, and not just Satay chicken sticks and pad thai. I'm talking streets lined with cooking stations to satisfy almost every kind of craving. Basil beef?Roast pork? What about pad thai? Then what about the more exotic stuff like cockles, shark fin soup, birds nest? you name it, it's there. And cheap. IT's all served with a grateful smile. Notice I said grateful because most of the smiles I get here either forced or not genuine. Check out m Flickr photo set for some pix.

I got to surf in 80 degree water. That means no shivering to get used to the water. No crowds, friendly lineup and stoked thai surfers, and traveling surfers abound. I was playing in mostly shore pound. The rains have not fully set the sandbars yet, so anything short of high tide, the incoming swells will flip right over and dump on the shore. Not much to work with, EXCEPT, the last day. I caught it on an outgoing tide and by myself. I got a handful of waves before another surfer comes out to join me.

Now that I'm back, it's been a drag to get back to work. All I think about is another trip, but that feeling is slowly going away. Replaced by cold water and frumpy onshore winds for the next three months, I need to find a way to get some nice surf in. Ahh...the memories.

Posted by Baldwin at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)