Welcome to Bill Andrews' Electronic Fish Wrapper

Sunday - 30 Jan 2005 - More boring photos of another crappy day in La Jolla, Nebraska - oops I almost forgot, Buzzy salutes the Shores Baby, err, Bench Sitters

Saturday - 29 Jan 2005 - Exciting photos of the tail wagging the dog, another crappy Penalty Box sunset

Friday - 27 Jan 2005 - Photos of winners on land backside and frontside

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- 30 Jan 2005 -  
  
BA pontificates ad nauseam ....

"Hey BA - you've been threatening 1/2 of the known surfing universe - for at least 15 years - that you were gonna say or write something profound - we hope you've given-up on that, you oxymoron!"

Okay - how's this - I didn't write it - maybe I could have, but at least I get it - how's that for profundity!



From the link above:
"What's the best way to get started?
Don't start gradually. Take a deep breath, make a deep commitment and go for it. Full tilt. Maybe take a "jump start" vacation—with a serious exercise component, like a bike trip or a hike. Whatever. But go for it, big time. No sticking your toe in."

I guess I'm way ahead of the new class of prospective "Full Tilters!"

I'll never forget - more than 20 years ago - when an Oncologist told me that, statistically, I had less than a 10% chance to live 6 months - I had a stage IV malignant melanoma.

When I went under the knife for primary tumor and lymph node excision - I didn't know if I were gonna wake up with a right arm, with a stump, or - what if the cancer had metastasized through out my lymphatic system and the surgeons didn't even bother to hack away - just sew me up, and my kids and I could watch my time tick away?

... I was lucky - clean lymph nodes, and even more opportunities to have a couple of auto accidents resulting in broken legs, broken arms, broken hand, and thanks to a big wave pitching at Black's a broken elbow.
I even got the opportunity to go a couple of rounds with sarcoidosis and ...

... not to mention the broken ankle [thanks Bultaco], cracked vertebrae 3 times, degenerated L5 - S1 disc [thanks Honda and Bultaco], broken hand [thanks Brother Bobby] , right index finger reconstruction [thanks enchondroma] all of which happened BEFORE the cancer thing ...

However, from that point on, even though some, err, many of my days might suck, and even though my life has not turned out as I had hoped ...

... the hope of fame and $$ that a young man has, when he thinks that age 30 is ancient, and that there is some sort of nobility in death via motorcycle or a wave, or an assailant, or, or ... who knows what's inside of each person ..

- I'm just finding out what's inside of ME.

... I've tried to live every day as more exciting and challenging than the day before.

Most of the guys with whom I started surfing about 50 years ago, don't surf any more, in fact most of them don't do much of anything anymore - maybe they've bought into what they "think" they "know"
[from the Fortune Mag excerpt]

I guess the best thing about other men buying into the "think they know" mentality , at least for me, is that the tables have turned -

I'm the one still embracing life, working at a job I love, going to school [3rd time maybe the charm for calculus], surfing every day if possible [I'm still taking off on a bomb or two], and ...

Who knows when this feeling is gonna end - it's been with me for a long time - how 'bout at least another 20 years or so!

Whew - more to write about this stuff - maybe -

BA