December 14th, 2008

Then there was no light. Thursday December 11th the lights went out. And along with the electricity went the heat. No heat in December round these parts is cause for concern. Not so much for the elderly, or the handicapped, or the poor, but for the many of those, who depend on Laptops, cell phones and cable TV. It was hell for these folks for 3 days and 3 nights. In fact, there are still many, without cell phones, laptops, and cable TV.

The horror...the horror...the horror...

OK I'm kidding here. It was tough. But not as hard as it was for the sick, elderly, and the downtrodden. It was no joke. I was of course making light of those (and I'm including myself) who depend on the nicer things in life. Cell phones, laptops, cable TV. All that crap.

We take it for granted.

Heat and hotwater. Thank God we had a fireplace. At least we could burn wood and keep somewhat warm. It's not easy dealing with these elements during this these cold harsh winter months. Which brings me to the often asked question of the week. How on earth did our ancestors survive these winters up here? Are you kidding me?

Look we had a fire going non stop for 3 days. Imagine living in the days when that's all they had. Fire. If you didn't have wood, you didn't have a fire. No fire? You froze to death. And I'm sure that happened quite a bit. At one point, during all of this Max asked me if I wanted to go surfing. Surfing? Are you crazy? Surfing in the winter with heat and hotwater is one thing. Surfing without it? Ahhh I don't think so. But as crazy as that request from the boy seemed...I actually thought about it.

Man, I'm as crazy as he is.

It's really a mindblower to witness what an ice storm can do to a region. A Million people without power. Damn. That's a lot of unsettling circumstances unfolding all over New England. And all you expatriates of New England, these are the times that you should be thankful that you don't live here. Especially, all of you who live in warmer climates. You made the right move. Trust me. It was dark and cold for days on end. And, it's easy to see why some folks can't handle the cold, and make the move to warmer climates as part of their ultimate escape plan.

When in doubt- Get Out.

Am I one of these? No. Hell no. I know what these winters are all about. Besides if I had to, I could fend for my family. I'd go out and harvest some healthy New England wildlife, gather some maple syrup, and get plenty of water. As long as I had fire and ammo, I'm pretty confident I could survive out here. Don't be giving me that anti hunting crap either. Cuz unless you don't eat ANY meat/chicken what so ever, and wear NO leather (shoes, belts, coats, etc etc), then don't you dare judge me, when it comes to harvesting game.

Years ago, I had one woman tell me how inhumane it is to hunt. This same woman, drives her kids through the McDonalds drive up window to stuff her kids faces on Happy Meals. Sounds like a hypocrite, wouldn't you agree?

I told her, "when I shoot at a game bird and miss, that bird keeps on flying. If your little Happy Meal hamburger gets in line, and somehow misses the death hammer, he gets in back in line. Same with ole Mr Chicken McNuggett. At least the wildlife I hunt, has a chance to live another day. None of the chickens, cows and pigs we all eat do."

I don't think any of it sunk in. She just shook her head at me and drove off to Mickey D's..

But I thought of her last week during the Ice Storm. Heck, I even thought of dropping off some of the bounty to her and her family, if need be. But thankfully, I didn't have to go and hunt for our next meal, and neither did anyone else. I was just pointing out, that if I had to, I could and would.

Which again, brings me back to our ancestors. They not only had to provide heat for their families, they had to provide food. As I casually observed the near panic, in and around the community, I couldn't help but think of the what ifs. And honestly, there were only a few out there, who I thought could survive. If they had to. Hunting and gathering. The primal instincts of man.

Not that they really need this info...but...

... if Al Qeada really wanted to cripple our country, all they need to do, is take away our power. No Cell Phones, no heat, no hotwater, no cable TV...America would be brought to her knees. But, I'm also equally certain, that if that were to happen, America would rise up and kick the living snot out of anyone, who would take all of that away from us. After witnessing it firsthand last week, I'm convinced, we'd overcome any obstacle.

Hint to Scumbag Terrorists- "Don't mess with our Cable TV and Cell phones, or you'll be meeting Allah before you're ready. Got it?"

GREETING SEASONS is out and at the shops. It's strictly a Shortboard movie. GROOVEMASTERS my second movie, is coming along, but that Ice Storm threw me off track for a few days. So I'm playing catch up. I still plan on getting it out before Christmas, so hopefully, if you're a longboarder and waiting for this first ever local New England Longboard film from SFOD, we should have it finished by this week. My goal is to get it in the shops by December 21st. Which also happens to be the first Day of Winter. Winter solstice.

We had a soft opening at Los Olas last week for the premiere of GREETING SEASONS and it was fun. The small, but enthusiastic gathering, really seemed to enjoy it. So a big thank you for all who came out last Wednesday. The day before the Earth Stood Still. Also, a big thank you to Matt Burke and his wife Julie for hosting the event. As well as Cinnamon Rainbows and Dave Cropper. Matt and Julie are hoping to make this a monthly gathering. They are looking to show one surf movie every month, and one skate/snowboard every month. This week Wednesday December 17th, it's Pioneers showing a Snowboard movie at Los Olas. It's all about keeping the stoke in our community.

Surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding.

GREETING SEASONS and GROOVEMASTERS. Two movies from Surf Free Or Die. Most of these waves and riders were shot during the same photo shoots. The fact that I have so much footage of both, the riders of shortness, and the riders of boards of length, is the reason why there's two movies.

I'm really happy with the music selection for Groovemasters, mostly because it's 99% local. My nephew Jesse (QWILL) and Dave Cropper, along with myself, are providing the tracks. Like I said before, it's all about the community. Local waves, local surfers and local musicians.

And local comedians.

Yes Jimmy Dunn makes a couple of cameos. Both in and out of the water. And there's the first ever SUPB footage of the illustrious SFOD history of films. And it's at (of all places) that famous left point break. Nothing funny about that. But I am making an effort to sharing the love.

Now for some casual observances last week.

So they found the skeletal remains of a small child in Florida this week. How does that kind of evil live in the hearts of young parents? I just don't get it. But the Police do, and that young woman in jail will pay for this mistake the rest of her life. The other big news stories are the Auto industry Bailout and Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich trying to auction off the vacant Senate seat. I don't know what to make of the bailouts. And I certainly don't know what to make of the Blagojevich deal. However, that haircut is making me ill. That Beatles 65 look is ridiculous. Although, it may be popular in prison. We'll see.

The Patriots whooped the snot out of the Raiders tonight. I mean, it was a shalacking. Not even close. 49 to 20. With Matt Casell playing under some serious duress, with his dad passing away on Monday, he still threw 4 TD's today. However, even with this win, the Pats are tied with the JETS and DOLPHINS. And right now, Miami controls their own destiny. They win the next two, and they win the division. It's still fun to watch the team play. Regardless of where they go this year. It's all a plus.

And I know I have been lack luster as of late, about the Celtics and the Bruins ,and I apologize to you hardcore fans of both teams. The "C's" and The "B's" are off the hook HOT! Are you kidding me? It is a great time to be a New England Sports fan. So wherever you are NE fans, feel free to rub it in to your friends. And do it with a smile on your face, and use your best New England accent.

Jimmy Dunn has a great video piece on WMUR TV Channel 9 click this link to see our boy Jimmy surf and crack people up.
JimmyDunnNHChronicle

Don't forget "GREETING SEASONS" is in the Shops. And "Groovemasters" the first ever Longboard ONLY movie from Surf Free Or Die comes out on Sunday December 21st.
Check out Brian Nevins canvas print orders for the holidays. See samples at Cinnamon Rainbows and KB's Bagels. It's by order only as the pricing fluctuates but you can order any photo that he's taken off his website or this site to print.
Brian Nevins 949.295.9390
www.briannevins.com

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to Ralph's Pic Of The Week Especially: Ed O'Connell, John Carden, Brian Nevins, Bernie Baker, Jamie Wade, Kevin Doherty, Lenny Nichols, Chris Shipley, The Phantom, Ross Kunkel, Bob Consentino, and Chris Thompson and all the others who submit photos to this site.

QWILL is available on myspace.com/qwillmusic

Remember my friends...Surfing heals all wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph