Leisure, surf skate climb. --- .This section is about surfing, skateboarding and climbing. Topics include: --- 1/24/2006
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Big 3 sports: (1) Intensity. (2) Confrontation of essential problems (death etc). (3) Powerful and elemental vs. everyday life; which is boring, safe, trivial, muddle along slowly. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Climb and hitch. (1) Involves danger of facing death. (2) Builds character, clarifies values, improves thinking. (3) Bigger risk, bigger payoff. (4) Not as destructive as drugs, crime, warfare. (5) Testing yourself by doing something dangerous; inherently dangerous and illegal to boot. (6) Explore and discover. (7) Trial by fire. (8) Vision quest, spirit guides (Indians). --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Consciously I did it for fun and adventure (confront the unknown). Unconsciously I did it to over-compensate for feelings of inadequacy? To prove myself? To prove I was strong and brave when I felt weak and cowardly? --- 12/30/1996
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Hitching = travel + danger. --- 03/01/1994
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Hitching. (1) How safe is hitching? Not very, especially if alone. (2) How fun is it? Not very, especially if its multi-day or in poor weather. (3) Why do it? (A) Poverty. (B) Adventure (risk). (C) Meet people and hear stories. Otherwise take a bus or rent a car. --- 4/28/1998
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Hitching. (1) The poor give rides because (A) They have hitched themselves and so are more likely to pick someone up. (B) Know that the hitcher knows that they have nothing to steal. So they give rides. (C) They may not always be quick enough to realize the danger involved. (2) The rich do not give rides because (A) They have never hitched themselves and do not know how it feels to need a ride. (B) They know that the hitcher knows that the rich have money to be stolen. (C) They are sometimes quick enough to know not to pick up hitchers. Thus, you meet mostly the poor when you hitch. --- 12/30/1996
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Hitching. Alone, what season, how far, carrying how much money, and carrying how much stuff. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Hitching. City, suburb, rural, and wilderness. Superhighways vs. backroads. Northeast, south, west. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Hitching. Ride types: opposite sex and same age (romance). Groups vs. individuals. Talkative vs. quiet. Rich vs. poor. Ethical vs. unethical. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Hitching. The road: danger, loneliness, waste, reality, a test, a change, poverty, social exclusion, marginality, freedom. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Hitching. What they and their cars looked like. What they said (true and lies), and you said (true and lie). What you saw out the window. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- PART ONE. History of surfing, skateboarding and rock climbing in California during the 1960's and 1970's. (1) Enabled by technological developments. Urethane wheels for skateboards. Nylon ropes for rock climbing. Fiberglass and resin for surfboards. (2) Developed in an atmosphere of cultural foment. The sixties and seventies included hippies, civil rights, ecology, rock music, drugs and sex. PART TWO. Traits of these sports. (1) Fun. Hedonistic. Unproductive. Enjoyable. Leisure pursuits. (2) Lifestyle. Quit work or school to do it full time. Work minimum wage jobs to do it. (3) Counter culture. Went against society to do it. Society said to work, make money and buy material things. (4) Physical experience. Challenging physical movements in challenging physical environments. There are many important things to be learned from the physical, the body and the environment. (5) Its a natural environment, not an artificial environment. Its an outdoor environment, not an indoor environment. (6) Attitude: healthy, physical, partying, rebellious. (7) Subculture with its own music, fashion and language. PART THREE. Cousin sports. Hang-gliding. Para-sailing. Bungee jumping. Snow boarding. Wind surfing. Inline skating. Mountain biking. PART FOUR. Why did I stop? It was mindless. It was boring. The physical had important things to teach me but it could only teach me so much. What took its place? Thinking. Was it just as good? --- 5/4/2002
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Skate. Half the fun was it was illegal. The other half was three dimensional gravity play. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Sunny warm days, strong brave men, beautiful horny women. Adventure, romance. Exploits, excitement, danger, big risks, big payoffs. Risk everything, win everything. It was a great ideal. Took me away from my actual garbage situation. --- 09/25/1993
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Surf skate climb were all: Nature oriented solo activities. Physical and mental challenge. Aesthetic. Dangerous. Silent, simple, and cheap (no motors). --- 04/21/1993
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Surf, climb, drugs, pathological sex. I have gotten all I can from them. I have gotten all they have to offer, which is not much, but important. I have stepped up to them, and now it is time to step up higher above them. --- 01/01/1993
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Surf, skate, and climb are the big 3. They are lifestyle sports, counter-culture sports, danger sports. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Surf, skate, climb. They are play in 3D. Play with gravity or weight. These require more intelligence than 2D sports. --- 10/25/1993
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Surfing and climbing. They were ways to test myself physically, and test my character. They were ways to test myself in face of danger. They were ways to break free from society. --- 09/06/1993
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- They are counter-culture sports. Mainstream sports: basketball, football, baseball. Counter-culture: anything not mainstream. Anything not a mass, spectator event. Anything non-competitive, or self-competitive. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Uncertainty and risk: for good vs. bad/danger. Actual vs. perceived. --- 12/30/1992
Leisure, surf skate climb. --- Why I stopped. Skating: no good parks around, and pools illegal after 18. Surfing: east coast waves suck. Climbing: all non first ascents are boring. --- 12/30/1992