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sessions

An hour into an intense jam-session last night in Oakland, I thought about the similarities between music and surf. Both hinge on the vibe and energy of the participants. Both are temporal, fleeting, and dynamic. A musical mantra that you hear around jazz and funk circles is "layin' back in the cut." It basically means getting way back into the deepest groove of the music. Reinforcing the fundemental movement and beat. Usually the drummer and bass player hang back in the cut, while the horns or guitar fly all over the map. There really are no rules, however. Each musician is left to his own ear and opinion about how to best contribute to the overall sound. Sometimes the music needs more reinforcement of the core groove, other times it needs manic, wide-arcing brush strokes of creativity. Good sessions happen when all participants are intently aware of the overall sound. All engage and listen and react. Hover between passion and restraint. When it comes together and everything clicks the energy is vibrant and full. Last night we had a few moments of transcendent rocking and i looked at the drummer and he was just smiling really wide with his eyes closed. The bass player rocked back and forth, channelling his inner muse. For me it felt like my fingers were moving with very little input from my brain. The notes were there in space, my body a conduit to the music already in existence. Our band a conduit to the deeper pool of different people, traditions, lives, pain, anguish, lust. A fleeting moment lost in time. Cherished.

First round of the Rip Curl Cup completed, along with 4 heats of round 2. No huge upsets yet. AI barely squeaked out of the losers round. Bede Durbridge surfed pretty huge. Slates beat Jamie Obrien and Chris Ward in round 1. Sunny advanced. Occy beat Tim Reyes in the losers round. The Lopez brothers continue to lose. bummer as i'm a fan of Shea and Cory.

"the fourth man was a musician. he said: "you're
quite wrong. you're overlooking the physical thinking
in sport, because you're evidently still in the habit of
overvaluing the logical, systematic kind of thinking.
that's practicaly as out of date as the prejudice that
music enriches the emotional life, and sport is a
discipline of the will. but physical movement is so
magical that we can't stand it without some kind of
buffer. you can see this in films when there's no music.

music is inward motion, it supports the kinetic imagination.
once you have grasped the sorcery in music, you can see
the genius in sports without a second's hesitation."

—robert musil "the man without qualities"

Posted by: korewin at March 29, 2005 10:16 AM

just thought i would add that in jazzspeak, the groove is more often referred to as "pocket", and there is always a pocket, whether you're swinging, playing a funky backbeat-hip-hip jam, afro-cuban, free, whatever.

i hear you, E. the similarities are endless. deeper into the pocket in music= deeper into the pocket/tube in surfing! responding to unexpected playing by band-members in a jazz or rock improvisation = responding to a wave or surfboard's unexpected activity. like when that little section that looked like it was gonna mush just stands up and you're right there to lay into it with a big cutback.

stoke.

Posted by: bobby at March 29, 2005 10:23 AM

sorry, that was "hip hop" in my above post.

Posted by: bobby at March 29, 2005 10:24 AM

nice ones korewin and bobby! Yeah.. hangin way back in the pocket. Holdin' it down.

Posted by: e at March 29, 2005 10:27 AM

i wish i played the music

i thought occy retired?

Posted by: bagel at March 29, 2005 10:41 AM

Anyone been on a 2 day hiking trip through Pt. Reyes. Going to hit is up this weekend. Any suggested trails are appreciated. trautster@hotmail.com

Posted by: traut at March 29, 2005 10:52 AM

I need a Chiropractor. And it has been 5 years since I have visited one, so I need a recommendation.

Anyone know of a good one in SF?

Posted by: friend #1 at March 29, 2005 10:57 AM

Good Chiropractor:
Aaron Ferguson

He is a surfer himself. Hooked me up several times on our last trip to Indo. His office # is 776-4064. (Chirocare)

Posted by: obsurfer at March 29, 2005 11:00 AM

Traut - I've hiked and stayed overnight a couple times up there. Both times I stayed at Glen Camp only because that was available. Wildcat is a bit further and right on the beach. I think there are a couple camp sites on or near the beach. I would recommend the hike-in sites though. Reservations fill quickly so call ahead.

http://www.nps.gov/pore/activ_hike.htm

Posted by: Dennis at March 29, 2005 11:30 AM

Thanks Dennis!!

Posted by: traut at March 29, 2005 11:41 AM

wildcat is a really sweet campground. the albino deer are a trip. there's probably tons of drift wood to burn right now too. and the hike up to the es ain't too far from there, but bring your cell phone, right? you should be okay for reservations for another month or so. it mostly gets booked up in the summer, i think.

Posted by: steamwand at March 29, 2005 11:46 AM

friend #1. Not to dis' chiropractors, but I hear it can be a crap shoot. You might consider Lance Harriman at Potero Physical Therapy. Along with his Master's from UCSF he brings a bit of surfing experience. . . he's a well respected alumnus of Mavs University.

http://www.potreropt.com/

Posted by: Bruce at March 29, 2005 11:51 AM

Lance is the man.

Posted by: Hession at March 29, 2005 12:13 PM

I'm shouting out for Lance Harriman too. He nailed the problem w/my neck, right away, better than the doctors [ they were all over the map.] I was wrecked when I went in, could hardly move, no sleep, must have been a mental case. 6 months no water, hardly any exercise, if he wanted to throttle me for my kvetching he held his tongue. :) Gave this kook some paddling tips and really, really useful stretches and exercises which I'll use forever. Worth every single penny.

It hasn't been 6 months, but ..suuurf! Agh

Posted by: s.s. sharkbait at March 29, 2005 12:15 PM

I like Physio over Chiro any day. Just personal opinion. Its cool to get the electrodes set up and get the controls handed over. You can shock the hell out of your muscles for fun.

On another note, here is a good article on how the price of oil is affecting your next board purchase. I got "dinged" by this last year when I ordered a board and it showed up 4 months later with an increased price tag because oil prices "went up man..."

http://www.twsbiz.com/twbiz/features/article/0,21214,1042302,00.html

Waves were shit today! I have since retired from surfing. Well, ok, maybe not, on the retired part. The waves were shit though.

Posted by: Kaiser at March 29, 2005 12:25 PM

oil rules.
naa ahahahhhaha.

Posted by: elias at March 29, 2005 12:30 PM

After a motorcycle accident, I went to a chiropractor for 3 months because of a very sore lower back. He cracked my xiphoid process, that little triangular bone between the left and right rib cage and just below the sternum. It hurt for 6 months. I felt good right after leaving the chiro office but always was right back into the pain the next day. In the long run, my back only improved through exercise and time. I would not recommend a chiropractor to anyone for any reason from my own experience. PT is the way to go.

Posted by: Dennis at March 29, 2005 12:39 PM

hey dennis, yesterday you mentioned that you bought a ci flyer. is it the one that has a swallowtail? I'm thinking of purchasing that model. any feedback would be helpful. thanks,toad

Posted by: toad at March 29, 2005 12:42 PM

I think if your back is messed up, you should visit a massuese, a physio therapist and a chiropractor. Probably only one of these will help you out, and it will be different for each person.

My problem is very specific and not extreme. One of my vertibrae is out of whack. I have had good luck with Chiro in the past.

If my Back was really f-ed up, I might see a physio, or if I thought it was a systematic problem.

Like anything there are good chiros and bad chiros.

I'd like a rec on a good one. Thanks obsurfer. Any others?

Posted by: friend #1 at March 29, 2005 12:50 PM

Somebody asked what a rocketfish is the other day. Well, this is kinda it, or at least what I consider it to be. The CI Flyer is a squashtail thruster. The board is thick (2.75") and maintains the thickness to the boxy rails. It's also wide (20.25") and maintains the width through the hips. The side rail line is almost straight. The entry rocker is low as is the tail kick. It paddles really good and turns well in small surf. I've only ridden it in knee to waist-high surf and was happy with the performance. My guess is that head-high is probably the upper limit for control. Of course, this is the size window it was designed for--summer windswell crappy surf. Like a fish with thrusters - I wonder if that's where the term rocketfish came from?

I was able to catch small waves easily. It did not bog down in mush so I could push through weak sections. So for what I bought it for, it's the bomb.

Posted by: Dennis at March 29, 2005 12:55 PM

i see dr. luck at rincon chiro once a month. more for my tweaked neck from bad posture in front of the computer than anything else. he's a young guy that also surfs and has always given a great adjustment. also has massage onsite.

Posted by: caveman at March 29, 2005 01:05 PM

Another OB regular(and Mavs charger) that is a chirpractor is Benjy Darrow. Can't vouch for his chiropractic prowess but he is a good guy. I have his card somewhere.

Posted by: Reality Check at March 29, 2005 01:10 PM

Airwave surf bag guy is also a chiropractor. I've heard he is the "OB chiro" as he's been around along time and got a bunch of folks back in the water.

You can track him down via the surf website as I don't know his other contact info.

http://www.airwavesf.com/contactus.htm

Posted by: at March 29, 2005 01:21 PM

Dennis- I got a worse story from Arizona (not known in early years for it's regulatory rigor). Guy goes to a Chiro for neck problem and gets mobilized. Unfortunately there was an undiagnosed cervical fracture and the mobilization left him paralyzed. I'm married to a PT so I can't claim to be objective. But a functional evaluation by a good PT might be worth the money. If there's not an underlying problem then you have a host of options for treatment by others.

Posted by: Lizard at March 29, 2005 01:29 PM

I have to add, at first I was sceptical of chiropractors, but after having been adjusted a number of times, my neck/back pain is minimal if not completely gone. The chirop. I recommended does suggest certain exercises to do along with the adjustments. Im combination, they have worked for me. In Indo, I had an excrusiating headache/neck pain. Took about :2secs, and after the adjustment, all pain was gone. This is what made me a believer. Maybe that is part of therapy as well, believing that it works. Pick you poison..

Posted by: obsurfer at March 29, 2005 01:49 PM

Re: chiro / PT - as a 50-something surfer, I have found physical therapists to be the most effective in helping me with my chronic back, shoulder and neck problems. Having said that, I have reached a point where, despite diligently doing the exercises I've been taught at PT and regular yoga practice, I still suffer from frequent low-back pain due to a couple of old injuries (long, boring story). I try to avoid pain medication as much as possible and have come to rely on acupuncture and chiropractic when things get bad.

Accupuncture - Jeff Harrison (good guy & Mavs regular) - (415) 682-7098

Chiro - Rabia Mead (Ortho-Bionomy / GENTLE, non-invasive adjustments) - (415) 564-0732

Posted by: Jimmie at March 29, 2005 02:08 PM

first pic post today

container ship is about to kick up some juice
is this called waiting for your ship to come in?

Posted by: otf courtesy of Chuck Lantz at March 29, 2005 02:27 PM

Forget Chiros. Went to a chiro for a back problem, he does the cracking thing and then back hurts twice as worse and this lump appears. When I show him the lump and describe the pain, he responds, and I shit you not, QUOTE, "Wow. I have not done that in a long time."

NEVER again.

By the way - I am in the Chuck Lantz pic above...23 Mar ...but he did not get me in any others and I had a dominating session!

Posted by: Flem at March 29, 2005 02:32 PM

I recommend Gary Legendre, City Chiropractic on Fillmore in Pac Heights.

Guy is awesome, 25+ years not one complaint or lawsuit. I go 1X per month since May 2004, it's ben great. The immediate effects last about 2-3 days, then there are subtle effects that linger afterward. It's not just about what happens in the days immediately following an adjustment -- you begin to realize you've been holding your spine a certain (wrong) way, or you discover reverse lordosis (curve the wrong way) to correct, or some other aspect of your spine that, when noticed or improved upon, will eventually set your posture and make you naturally begin to "self-correct" your back issues, your stance, the whole way you hold/carry your head and spinal column. I found chiropractic to be as much a long-term lesson as it was a quick fix. You'll pick up invaluable inner-body knowledge, IMO.

W-I-N-D-Y messes need offshore blesses....

4 Love of Surfing

Posted by: 4LOS at March 29, 2005 02:34 PM

Work through it. Use the RICE method.

Posted by: at March 29, 2005 02:40 PM

Toad, on the Flyer tip, the CI board with the swallow is the Flyer II, not the Flyer. The Flyer II is pretty sweet. I have one that I keep in Hawaii which is a bit shorter and thinner then the boards I ride around here. I really like the board and would consider one as my day-to-day shortboard. I don't have many complaints. The Flyer and the Flyer II are different in that the Flyer model has a fairly wide tail, really suited for our windswell waves and more gutless waves we get in Spring/Summer.

One thing I have noticed when checking the racks at Wise is that their Flyer II's seem to have a lot more foam at the nose then mine does. More similar to the Mongrel or the Black Beauty. Not sure why this is.

Posted by: Kaiser at March 29, 2005 03:26 PM

chiro: ethan feldman, back in action (east bay/berk). rocks.

pt reyes: park at bear valley & hike bear valley trail > old pine > woodworth valley > camp at coast camp if you can get it & try to get between sites 1-7 they are more nestled in the chaparral

http://www.nps.gov/pore/images/map_coast.jpg

Posted by: paul b at March 29, 2005 03:35 PM

Second picture post of the day.....Yeeehaaaaa

Posted by: Kaiser at March 29, 2005 03:35 PM

Man, you all get hurt a lot!!

I couldn't believe how messy and stormy and chunky and slabby the ocean looked yesterday afternoon.

Posted by: Hb at March 29, 2005 03:41 PM

yeah Hb...between ripping up waves, boasting
about photos and hunting down alien scum and
beating their asses...there is a lot of pain doled
out up here. (see sarcasm—in case anyone fergits)

actually, i think it because the average age on this here thing is somewhere well north of the legal drinking age....

Posted by: korewin at March 29, 2005 03:54 PM

How many SF surfers are under the age of 18?

My guess: 12 max.

How many SF surfers are in their 30's or 40's?

My guess: 88%

Posted by: Kaiser at March 29, 2005 03:56 PM

Thanks for the recommendations. And thanks for the advice about physio instead.

I see a Chiro when I know my spine is messed up. I do not want to see anyone on a monthly basis be they physio or chiro. I just want a specific problem related to a specific injury to be cleared up.

I have to say that bad Chiro stories are sort of like shark sitings.

Then again the recs may be like "you shoulda got adjusted yesterday..."

Posted by: friend #1 at March 29, 2005 04:16 PM

bad back = stress in life

Posted by: jhmb at March 29, 2005 04:24 PM

everyone has stress in life. so must be alot of bad backs out there.

go get checked up.

Posted by: at March 29, 2005 04:30 PM

what you bad back guys don't realize is you are grinding down the cartilage at the kink you make when paddling. likely, you have some degree of arthritis right at that kink. a chiro might not do anything for you beyond being a placebo. the best thing to do is hit up the gym and do core and back exercises. do lots of situps. maybe, if your condition is chronic, try not to surf on marginal days.

Posted by: accountingfreek at March 29, 2005 04:30 PM

I noticed a lot of kids surfing in Huntington Beach. I'm talking about 12 to 15 yo's. Where do the kids from SF surf? Must be difficult to get to Lindy.

Posted by: Dennis at March 29, 2005 05:07 PM

CHIROPRACTORS ARE NOT DOCTORS. BE CAREFUL LETTING SOMEBODY LIKE THAT TWIST YOUR SPINE.

Posted by: no chiro at March 29, 2005 05:07 PM

Actually, chiropractors are doctors. I have a chiro friend I do another high risk sport with and the guy is great to have around in an accident. I got pretty messed up a month ago and it was like having a doctor on the scene, checking to see if my neck was broken, how bad my head trauma was and all that. The guy's given me lots of advice on how to treat my injuries. I'd say better advice than my physician.

But, I must agree some Chiros can be quacks. Especially the ones trying to rush a bunch of patients in and out the door for the $$$.

Posted by: accountingfreek at March 29, 2005 05:21 PM

Chronic back pain getting you down?

http://video.msn.com/video/p.htm?m=Home%20and%20Living&mi=NBC%20Today&i=971c2bc2-f1c7-4090-b0e4-afed228edaf1,9b7008aa-b85c-4604-ab6a-e297b5802168,d626f0fd-2dea-4668-a3f7-86bb00f77bdd&p=Living_NBC%20Today&rf=http://www.msn.com/

Posted by: at March 29, 2005 05:26 PM

Most kids (well, parents) leave the city when kids start school. The city is mostly void of kids over the age of 6. Bad schools, expensive living, city life = parents move away = not that many teens in the city. Not sure why the east bay kids do not surf more...maybe since they have to travel they go right to lindy.

Posted by: KIDS at March 29, 2005 05:54 PM

Kaiser, probably over protective parents who don't want their kids drowning at OB. Did ANYONE get waves today? The only clean spot was the Jetty, and that had shin-high waves. Drove from nearly county line to the bridge. Nothin.. Saw a few souls roughing it at the north end of lindy. Good day to practice lip-bashing and airs if you can. I can't.

Posted by: Ian at March 29, 2005 06:16 PM

web, don't fret. Today was one of those "adventure" days where I didn't check the buoy's.

Posted by: Ian at March 29, 2005 06:20 PM

San Francisco has the lowest fraction of its population under 18 of anyplace in the United States, about 60% as many kids as the national average. In addition, San Francisco has a large fraction of its children that do not speak English as a first language...

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/24/national/24childless.html?

Posted by: NY Times at March 29, 2005 09:48 PM

chiro schmiro...yoga is the key brothers. it builds core strength and flexibility to prevent injury in the first place and it costs less too, not to mention the meditative and toxin elimination aspects. once you learn some sets you don't even have to pay for classes. there are some great instructional dvds out there too.

i like to think of regular practice as highly effective, low-cost, self-administered massage...but you have to get off your ass and do it, which is the kicker for most things of value no?

sure, a trusted chiro who can explain his approach beyond just cracking joints when you have a severe mis-alignment...or i agree even beter a PT for a more calculated, all-encompassing approach, but don't forget the yoga. just my 2 cents. oh yeah, did i mention too that the classes are full of beautiful, fit women?

Posted by: mk1201 at March 29, 2005 09:51 PM

surfed with a hb grom ripper at "the bowl" hanalei bay last spring break.. got all the data from the dad who was sitting on his board long enough to converse the everyday hb pier rat 12 yr old was to busy dropping in on dad and me to spend any time talking ...kid surfs the pier everyday ...kids in sf just dont get out to the beach everyday
1. water cold requires wetsuit
2. parents live to far inland to drive em to the beach
3 ob to big and knarly for groms to enjoy safely
4 sf is a long way from gidget land

Posted by: otf at March 29, 2005 10:03 PM

where's the brigade?

Posted by: scared at March 29, 2005 10:07 PM

E you should pick up a copy for your keyboard/organ player in your jam band. No one dub it like Mittoo.

Every track is irrrrrrrrrrie and nice!

By the way, blow already you fuckin' offshores you got some cleanin' up to do. Forecasted E winds for a 3-9am window. Damn.

Posted by: Hb at March 29, 2005 10:20 PM

E you should pick up a copy for your keyboard/organ player in your jam band. No one dub it like Mittoo.

Every track is irrrrrrrrrrie and nice!

By the way, blow already you fuckin' offshores you got some cleanin' up to do. Forecasted E winds for a 3-9am window. Damn.

Posted by: Hb at March 29, 2005 10:20 PM
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