Quote of the Day

Fun!

SoCal Surf Extreme: The Wedge

Burning Down the House - Social DJ on iTunes

With the latest iTunes update, Apple has made a nice jump into the social DJ arena. What used to be called Party Shuffle and is now called iTunes DJ, when you have a party, your guests with iPhones can hook into your WIFI and request the next song to be played from your library. Of course, they must have the latest Remote app on their device but how cool is that?? You can also put a password on your lib so that only a select few can pick the next song. The real fun begins when you allow your guests to vote on the next song so no one can pick a lame song by Manilow (tell me you don't have any Barry in your lib...please). We have come along very long way since the intro of iTunes in Jan. 2001 and it just keeps getting better. Keep it going Cupertino!

Balls of Steel

Close to the Edge

Amazing Storm Footage

The Sheer Beauty of California

When I moved to the Bay Area (from Delaware via Las Vegas) in the early 80's my first residence was in a bungalow one block from the beach in Carmel. I was blown away with all the beauty that surrounded me from Point Lobos, Big Sur and the coast. Then I started taking my friends to Yosemite and to the top of Half Dome for an overnight stay. I took over 100 folks to the top. I love Yosemite and if you have not been, please go soon. My nephew Dan was here a few years ago and I took him to Yosemite for his first trip. He was a film student at the time and he decided to do a little film on me and use Yosemite as a backdrop to the film. Let me know what you think of the film.

Quote of the Day

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Saturn

Saturn is in view this month and sets in the early morning hours. Can you name the other planets that have visible rings? Not as visible as Saturn, however. Look UP!

Sail on Sailor

Remember that old Beach Boys tune? My weekend was kind of like the song. Headed up to the boat with Kona for a Friday evening sunset sail. The winds were 15-18 and we had a perfect sail out towards Alcatraz with the sun going down behind the Marin headlands. As it got dark I put on some classic Pink Floyd. On of the songs, Seamus, which features a dog barking, really got Kona going and he was barking right along with it. Had a nice night on the boat and then took care of some chores in the morning. On Sunday, I took out the Hunky Dory to a local lake in Fremont. The Hunky is a 16' wooden dory with a 505 rig that I have owned for 10 years. She was built by a local high school and I am the third owner. I have done some work on her this winter and she was sailing smartly on a perfect wind day. Kona came along again and he enjoyed the breeze and the water. Sailed for about three hours and it was one of the best sails on the Hunk! Looking forward to another awesome year sailing into the wild blue yonder.

Bathing Suits Are Optional

Back in college I was the lifeguard at the UNLV pool. One day, two lovely ladies stopped by and asked if the pool was open. I said yes and for the next half hour, bathing suits are optional. Well, I had used this line before and received a smile or laugh but never had I had any takers, until that day. Before I could say, Do you prefer mouth to mouth resuscitation or back pressure arm lift?, they were skinny dipping in my pool! The pool is a 50 meter and the lap swimmers at the other end had no idea what was going down in the deep end. Next thing I know, they are going off the diving boards and I am doing some of the best life guarding of my life! And these girls were hot! So they come swimming over and ask if there is a place for some sun bathing. I tell them we happen to have a private sundeck and for the next half hour....

So the pool closes and the lap swimmers file out. Next, the mens swim team assembles on the deck with the assistant coach. The head coach was out of town and the assistant coach is a former teammate. I tell my teammates that I have a wonderful surprise for them. We have some sliding doors that lead out to the sundeck behind us and I slide them open to reveal two naked ladies glistening in the sun. You should have seen their eyes light up! The coach looks me right in the the eyes and says, Craig, practice is cancelled! We proceed out to the deck and the girls don't even flinch when 10 guys waltz out and put down their towels. Turns out they were quite comfy being naked as they were high priced ladies of the night that catered to the high rollers that came into town. We talked and they told us stories of their escapades in the nicest hotels Las Vegas had to offer. Next thing you know we are in the pool having chicken fights with the girls on top and the team loving it! We had a great afternoon and Cheryl and Renee (not their real names) loved all the attention. I have used that line many times, but never with the outcome of that day in Vegas!

Couch Race

08-060718
by sombrhero

Bike For Sale

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Funny Story

After reading the sailing story that was recently posted to r.h.funny,
I was reminded of this true story from my (recent) youth: Several years ago, I spent two weeks at Mobjack Sailing Camp. We campers tried to learn how to sail by going out on the Chesapeake Bay to sail twice a day under the somewhat inept instruction of the counselors. Anyone who knows how to sail is sure to know the terms "head up" and "fall
off" -- "head up" means to point the boat closer to the direction where
the wind is coming from, and "fall off" means to point the boat in the
other direction (further away from the source of the wind).
If you point the boat too far up in to the wind (i.e., if you "head up"
too far), the sail will get back-winded and start to luff (i.e., flap
around wildly.) One day, 4 fellow campers, a counselor and I were out on one of the boats in a stiff breeze. Ann, a camper who had a reputation for being a little bit of an airhead, was at the helm.
Ann wasn't very good at sailing, and at one point she pointed the boat way too far into the wind, causing the sail to start luffing wildly. She had no idea which sheet (rope) to pull or which direction to point
the boat to get the sail to fill again, so she started getting frantic.

Exasperated, the counselor finally yelled "Fall off! Fall off!".

Ann immediately jumped off the back of the boat.

Planning to Set Sail This Year??

Here it is just a few more days until we turn the clocks ahead and spring is on the horizon. Let's say you have always dreamed of sailing your local lake or nearby body of water. Let's make it happen this year! The cheapest way to go is getting involved with a local racing group and joining them for a race or two. If you have a lake or bay nearby, call your cities recreation department and sign up for some sailing lessons. Here in San Francisco, we have the Latitude 38 Crew List Party next Wednesday. Skippers are looking for crew so jump on the boat. Thinking about buying your own boat but money is tight? Think partnership! I have a Newport 30 that I partner with four other friends for over 8 years now. We each pay $100/month ($3 per day!) for a terrific bay boat that can handle anything the bay has thrown at her. It's a buyers market and a fine 29-31' vessel can be picked up for under $5000. Lastly, you could do some shopping, kick a few tires and buy your own boat. I just helped a friend buy his fist boat and he purchased an Ericson 27 for $8000 and loves his new to him boat. So now is the time to set the wheels in motion and get out on the water for some fun and stress relief. To me, sailing recharges the soul and puts a smile on my face every time I hit the water!!

PS. If you need info on how to start a partnership, feel free to contact me.

Hydrofoils

Volvo Race 2008/9

Condition Black

I finally got a chance to watch Condition Black and it was well worth it. The beaches had all closed due to the 40 foot swells. Only a handful of surfers decide to give it a go and make it out at Log Cabins on the North Shore of Oahu. An IMAX film crew is on hand to record some of the biggest waves ever surfed. It's a great story and a great filck. Check it here.

Chaos in the Pacific

A family of six buys a cat in FLA and then cruises west for 2 years. Things are not going too well for the family. Two of the teens are fed up with cruising and the father has started drinking agian after 12 sober years. There is tension on the boat. And then they hit a reef. Their story has been turned into a book and now you can watch it unfold here. I you are interested and the vid is not working, go to hulu.com and search 48 Hours Mystery and "Live to Tell".