Sunday, July 27, 2008

be a man!


What does it mean when somebody says, "Be a man!". What should it mean? Should it even be said at all? How about "Be a human!" instead?

This book is painful to read. Not because it's poorly written - it is extremely accessible, especially considering it was researched and written by an academic. What's painful is reflecting on what "masculinity" means in this society and what modern, mainstream porn adds to the mix. Powerful stuff that should be reflected upon by all of us, male and female - it represents a dialogue that should be (but isn't) taking place everywhere in this country.

Friday, July 25, 2008

stop-time

"One warm spring night we staged a revolution. All the Junior boys, thirty or forty of us, spontaneously decided not to go to bed. We ran loose on the grounds most of the night, stalked by the entire faculty...A few legitimate captures were made by the younger men on the staff, but there was no doubt most of us could have held out indefinitely. I, for one, was confident to the point of bravado, coming out in the open three or four times just for the fun of being chased. Can there be anything as sweet for a child as victory over authority? On that warm night I touched heights I will never reach again - baiting a thirty-year-old man, getting him to chase me over my own ground in the darkness, hearing his hard breath behind me (ah, the wordlessness of the chase, no words, just action), and finally leaping clean, leaping effortlessly over the brook at exactly the right place, knowing he was too heavy, too stupid as an animal, too old, and too tired to do what I had done. Oh God, my heart burst with joy when I heard him fall, flat out, in the water. Lights flashed in my brain. The chase was over and I had won. I was untouchable. I raced across the meadow, too happy to stop running."

Frank Conroy, Stop-Time

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

pitchfork rebellion!

So I was reading about Oregon Forestry laws and history recently, just trying to understand how and why such an often progressive state could have such unsustainable logging practices, and I learned some interesting stuff. There is a citizen group founded about 3 years ago in Lane County's Coast Range area called Pitchfork Rebellion. These are rural folks tired of the big logging companies' practice of clear cutting and dousing the neighboring hills (and their families) with herbicides. They don't like the naked hilltops, choked streams, or the resulting mudslides either. Who would? There's a big rally set for this Sunday July 27th in Portland.

Apparently when Oregon's forestry laws were passed in the early 70's they were somewhat ahead of their time. Now they are lagging sadly behind the times and are considered by many to be the weakest protections for the forest in the Western US.

Monday, July 14, 2008

umbabarauma

In honor of my friend Breno's new enterprise of importing Brazilian surfboards made by one of that country's finest shapers, I give you Jorge Ben, live.

Surf around Breno's website - he tells me the boards should be priced comparably to US made boards. These boards are different than what we are commonly seeing up here in the northern hemisphere - check their lineup of standard shapes here. Check out the Popozuda, or Big Butt, below -

Sunday, July 13, 2008

habib koite


July 30, 7PM, only 10 bucks at the Oregon Zoo Amphitheater!

where's the surf?

Photo copyright 2008 Gazelle

I'm in serious need of a surf, but as in this image the beach is not in sight...

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

heavy attitude


Those of you not living in Oregon will probably not recognize the significance of this July 4th weekend photograph. It's of two dory boaters seconds after running over a 14 year old surfer and completely severing his arm at one of the coast's most popular surf breaks. I hope they are ashamed. I also hope that the local prosecutor charges them and the kid's family files a civil suit. They deserve to suffer a little for this unnecessary accident, and the callous attitude. And no, I don't feel sorry for struggling working (or recreational) fishermen irritated by surfers in the way - deal with it, kooks. All activity comes with responsibility, so own up and act appropriately.

photographer describes scene

http://www.katu.com/news/24056914.html

Sunday, July 6, 2008

skin

Photo copyright 2008 Gazelle

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

three fingered jack

Photo copyright 2008

...is the peak in the distance.

It's a Beavis and Butthead name for a mountain if I ever heard one.