Hi folks,
Those of you who have read Can't You Get Along With Anyone? may remember my HUYA (Head Up Your Ass) Syndrome.
It appears that with my claim (in my last message) that the water where I am goes down counterclockwise I myself am a victim of it. My head was up my ass with that one.
Two of you wrote pointing this out, both including links to back up your implied assertion of my HUYA problem.
http://www.artofhacking.com/IET/NEWTECH/live/aoh_coriolis.htm
Although the above explanation of why the Coriolis effect is too weak to be a factor in which way toothpaste sludge swirls earthward doesn't mention my name specifically (nor does it outright define the location of my cranium with respect to my posterior), I think my birth date is imbedded in code in one of the mathematical equations defining the C effect.
I especially like the little anecdote about the African local guy wowing the tourists by walking back and forth across the equator doing his little "experimental proof" of the Coriolis effect in each hemisphere. (I would have been one of suckers ahhhh-ing about the miracles of science, how man has "figured out" so much about his world.)
Here's a slightly simpler explanation, via good old Wikipedia (which likewise doesn't mention my name, thank God):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect
It's humbling for someone who prides himself on his (dilettante's) knowledge of the physical sciences to find out he's been blabbing utter horseshit for years, personally "verifying" same anecdotally, seeing what he wants to see in his own half-baked, toothpaste sludge-swirling "proofs."
Thanks for smartening me up, guys!
In my last message I also asserted that the surf film Zen and Zero is not available for viewing on the Internet and you therefore have to buy it to see it. Turns out that, strictly speaking, there was some HUYA going on here too. As several of you pointed out, the flick can be had via Netflix.com (a rental outfit that charges no late fees, so you can keep your rental if you want).
I watched the film again a couple nights ago. But holy shit how it brought back memories of my own trip down the coast of Mexico and Central America! (I even caught Puerto Escondido epic like they did.) This is the real strength of Michael Ginthor and company's accomplishment: it gives the feel of a surf road trip better than any film I've seen; it does in images what I sought to do in prose with Zero. Although everything about Z and Z is on the money – the imagery, the cutting and rhythm, the great original music, the narration – it's this that stands out. (The narration deserves special mention, how it continually skirts the fine line between genuine surf-jive profundity and happy horseshit, without ever crossing it.)
But don't take my word for it. Check out the all the 5-star Amazon reviews
Here's how I got involved in it: I got a call on my cell down in Pavones. Some guy wanting an interview. I quizzed him. An Austrian and his cohorts making a surf movie. Nahh, I don't think so, was what I was thinking. I avoided them for a week, during which time a good south swell was running. As was my habit, I blew off The Point and made the daily pilgrimage to a semi-secret spot that was working – for my tastes, a better wave than The Point anyway, and without the tourist/crowds (believe it or not, a longer wave than The Point too). The Austrians finally cornered me and I agreed to an interview.
I quickly sensed that these were serious guys: they had a mini-cam equipped radio-remote little airplane with which to get aerial footage: on an utter shoestring, they'd figured out how to get (in effect) helicopter shots! I was impressed. And in the end I was bummed I didn't bring them to my private reef. In spite of the mess my life was at that time (as described in CYGAWA), I had a great week of surf and would have liked to document it.
To remember the positive aspect of my home for five years.
Speaking of abandoned homes, here's another North Shore image from Neal Miyake:
Check out Neal's "local boy" North Shore website:
Here's another wave image, of a very different sort; Hurricane Katrina storm surge (shot by Don McClosky), Big Blue in a foul mood. Reminds me of the late takeoff I made in my North Shore house on December 4th, 1969 (as described in Zero):
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Getting a lot of encouragement about the Cosmic Banditos screenplay I'm working on: Thanks! In fact, a really talented artist named Tom Vadakan was moved to create this image:
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A good likeness of me (taken from the CYGAWA back cover photo, I think), plus a cool interpretation of Jose, from the book. Thanks, Tom.
By the way: I'm enjoying working with the people at Cusack's New Crime Productions, plus The Hollywood Gang, another company that's involved in the project. I know: Seems I can get along with someone!
I'm actually optimistic that the movie will fly. (Don't I ever learn?)
On a darker note: It's starting to look like I'm in for a real legal battle over CYGAWA. Here's the thing: I've been lied to so much in my life, especially over the past few years (thieves, murderers, sociopaths, new age hypocrites, and just plain scumbags), that I'm used to it. Doesn't bother me. But listen: You call me a liarand watch out, the hammer will fall.
A bunch of people from the book have been calling me a liar (mainly to preserve the illusion that they are "good people") – I'll get to all of them eventually, but the character who is making legal noises, public noises, is first on my list.
As he will soon find out, he is (again) fucking with the wrong guy.
And in this case, I'm not going to wait to defend myself. My war will be preemptive. Right. I'm taking a page from Dubya's playbook here.
This guy wants to go public with his calling me a liar? I'll show him fucking public.
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Knowing my interest in the natural world, two of you sent me the link to an amazing film. Produced by the Canadian Film Board (which has always done incredible science stuff), this one is surely an example of Niels Bohr's famous line, "Not only is the universe stranger than we think, it's stranger than we can think."
I'll be in touch.
Allan