Making Friends With The Neighbours

Sometimes, I get all worky - focused on productivity and achievement - and I sacrifice coastal release and pleasure in pursuit of other goals. I mean, don't get me wrong; work offers pleasures too, and I know that there will always be other times to surf. The last couple of months it's been easy to put surfing aside; I had such a wave and pleasure-filled summer that I have been able to draw on left over feelings and memories. I've been able to reconcile the amount of fun I had with having to get back to the other parts of my life. But lately the pleasures of my summer have felt lost to me. It's like I have used them up. More and more I find that when I am away from the sea for too long, I start to forget what it is like to be there. I lose touch with how it feels to surf, and how it is even possible to do that. I lose trust in the strength of my own relationship to the sea and to surfing. When I write that down, it sounds crazy, but it all becomes so intangible and

A move that is high on the list of 'things I cannot do'.* (via East is the New West -  you can follow the hyperlink trail from there) *Although, I'm all over the toenail-painting , which I think is excellent.

OH MY GOD! GOOGLE READER IS GONE! I thought I had more time to get my head around this and find a new way to enable and organise my blog reading/procrastination but IT IS GONE! How will I pass my days now? (Actually, is anyone else feeling as emotional about this as I am?)

To be fair, I'm totally guilty of being too stoked, too often. For instance, you should see me watching sunsets. I clearly have a problem... Report: Most College Males Admit To Regularly Getting Stoked (via The Onion )

For most of us, cars are a central part of going surfing. In Australia, cars were an historically important part of the spread and reach of surfing and surfing culture in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, when cars became mass-produced and car ownership became affordable for younger people. Photos of groups of young men and women taking off to explore the coast have become iconic. For example, I see this photo by John Witzig of Bob McTavish at Noosa all the time - in books, online and even in films. This image is even the front page image on John Witzig's website . In Australia, surfing has really significant connections to cars; historically, symbolically, stylistically and practically In a similar way to the freedom they provided to surfers last century, cars have been really important for my surfing life. Because I live in Brisbane and especially because I ride longboards, if I didn't own a car, my access to the surf would be entirely reliant on the kindness and generosity o

This is an ACTUAL video that Quiksilver have on the Quiksilver Pro website to promote the competition. Come one, come all to watch the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast!! Everybody is welcome - even women! As long as you're a sick chick who is willing to have guys ogle her and comment on her body openly and in a way that is apparently encouraged by Quiksilver. But seriously, this is not a joke. That video is on the homepage of video section on the Quiksilver Pro website . On a website that includes women surfers who are also competing. Women who Quiksilver likes to suggest they consider athletes. I sort of wondered for a while if I would even post the clip here, because posting it is promoting their product and site, so I want you to know that I'm not unaware of the complexity of my including it on my blog in order to critique it. But I also want you to know that I think Quiksilver clearly employs some moronic promotional techniques that encourage and even permit sexist