Wanted: Dangerous Woman

How awesome is it that Lisbeth Salander has a Wikipedia page? A fictional character from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo/Millennium Series books, Lisbeth has enough spirit to inhabit several "real" people. Yes, this is a dangerous woman. But not in the tired old Femme Fatale mold.

A lot can and has been said about Lisbeth Salander. While there is so much to like about this character, what I find especially appealing is that she fights back. Lisbeth Salander fights back hard. Is there anything more disgusting in the human realm than the way many men treat women? I'm not talking about talk - sure, words can hurt. But actual physical intimidation and bodily harm is far more brutal and common place than any decent person would care to know about. Understanding that there will always be a physical disadvantage, and cowardly males willingly to exploit this difference, Salander has no qualms with picking up a broken bottle to level the playing field.

Add to this fighting attitude a list that includes: whip-smart, irreverent, intense, curious, uniquely attractive, brutally honest...Lisbeth - you had me at broken bottle!

In a nod to Lisbeth's computer hacking, the above drawing was lifted from this site.

Yeah, yeah...I know the Millennium Series books were a huge deal a couple of years ago and everybody and their brother was reading them. What can I say? I tend to run a bit outside the pack and often find things when I find them. Sometimes I'm an early adapter. Other times I stare blankly and mutter wha? to unimpressed hipsters. But if you haven't read any of the books or seen any of the films, I highly recommend them. Having rented all three of the Swedish movies and also watched David Fincher's US version of ...Dragon Tattoo, I can say they're all good with a straight face. Faithful to the spirit of the books and totally engaging.

There are far better authorities on the Millennium Series and author Stieg Larsson than me, but I will relay this one fact that also hooked me into this series and Lisbeth. As a teenager attending a summer camp in Sweden, Stieg Larsson witnessed the gang rape of a young girl. He froze. He did nothing. The girl's name was Lisbeth. This event haunted him for the rest of his life, and he ended up writing the Millennium Series and naming the heroine after this girl in what I suspect was a cathartic act and attempt at some sort of redemption for failing to act. Straight to the point right out of the gate, the original Swedish title of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is Men Who Hate Women. While he may have been too frightened as a teenager, as an adult, much like Lisbeth Salander, Larsson pulled no punches when confronting cruelty and injustice - particularly the kind that too many men inflict on too many women.

We need more dangerous writers. We need more dangerous women.

The Stuff of Men

I'm not a big fan of the term "real men". There are certain subtexts to when and how this type of phrase is used that I'm just not comfortable with. Too many homophobic, narrow minded folk are champions of this kind of talk. Which is too bad, because I do identify with a certain feeling that many men have sort of lost their way in modern society. I fully include myself in this assessment. Case in point: I don't really know how to do a lot of things with my hands, fix things, take apart things, build things. I would like to work with my hands more. I'm working on changing that a little bit every day. But as odd as this may sound, it's work trying to find time for good old fashioned work.

I love working. I've got to work everyday with my hands. Even if I am doing paperwork all day, I've got to go home and chop vegetables or something. It's really important to me. ~ Yvonne Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, surfer, climber, blacksmith, man.

Yes! Even right now, I wish I was doing something more physical. But here I am - sitting at the computer, typing. This strange impulse to communicate getting in the way...

My job involves computers, data, automated processes, phone calls and paper. Not exactly the manly-man-world. It's the modern world, convenient, allows for a pay check, and very easy to feel lost in. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only dude out there feeling like this. To be clear, I have no desire to swing backwards as far as to become a cave-man. This is some stupid shit to want to do. I want to use my modern brain and rational thought. And yet, I also crave something...essentially basic.

By the way, ladies - I'm not trying to leave you out of the discussion. Modernity certainly has a host of challenges for you as well. But I would feel foolish trying to express what those might be or actually feel like. I'm sure you would be much better served being your own messenger in that regard. Like Popeye would often say, I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam. At this point, a slightly wayward, somewhat hopeful man.

Hopeful, I say, because of the example of people like Yvonne Chouinard and also the Malloy brothers - who happen to work for Patagonia. No coincidence there, I think.

Chris, Keith and Dan Malloy are world class surfers, watermen, film makers, travelers, artists, ranchers, environmental advocates, and good old fashioned men. They are definitely thinkers and can express themselves in many different ways, but at the core - they do stuff. Watching their films, reading interviews with them and learning about their latest exploits always inspires me. In a 24/7 technology overload world, I need all of that I can get.

Frequent readers may recall a previous post about the short film Box of Birds featuring the Malloy brothers and their family. Worth a look as well are their surfing films, which you can find out more about over at the Woodshed Films site. The latest is Come Hell or High Water by Keith, all about the world of hard core body surfers. My wife and I had the pleasure of seeing a screening of the film a few months back at Patagonia's Ventura headquarters. Like all the films by this crew - definitely worth a look. Here's the trailer.

Watching a film like this about people doing one of the most primal of ocean activities, simply riding waves with your body, helps stoke those man-do-stuff fires that are far too often left to smolder somewhere deep inside of me. Afterward I feel energized to go out and do my own thing. Some days, I settle for chopping vegetables. But other days I roam, quite a bit more free.

~ Cheers!

February Surf

Winter is definitely the prime surf season in Southern California. Being that I've been hitting the trail runs frequently, I haven't been getting out into the water as much as I would like on my new SUP board. But I'm going to try to get out more as we head into Spring and especially Summer - when the swells flatten out and are ideal for more SUP days. I love the ocean and have a hard time imagining not living near it.

Bonus - correctly guess where each one of the masks on the wall above my board are from and win a prize. The prize will probably be just me telling you "good on ya mate", but hey, its something.

I'm probably not much fun to watch, but check out this great little video by Redondo Beach local and wandering surfer Holly Beck. She's one of my favorites. The video was shot two years ago, so it isn't from this winter. Still, you'll get the feeling for a typical dawn patrol session during California winter months.

Holly has a real strong spirit and love of surfing, diving, and all things ocean. I especially appreciate her old school take on things. If you check out Holly's blog post from early 2010, around the time of this video, you can get a sense of what I'm talking about.

I remember a time when beginners and kids stuck to the inside, the shoulder, or didn't show up at all. Priority in the lineup was based on dedication to the spot as much as surfing ability, and if the main guys in the lineup didn't know your name you wouldn't even think of paddling for a set wave. I wish it was still like that. I travel all over the world, sit on the shoulder, take the scraps, bow down to the locals. When I'm at home I take set waves.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of localism - which leaves a bad stink on the sport of surfing. But I love respect for the locals and the local spot. And while we're talking about the lineup and respect, will my fellow SUP riders please stay out of the lineup if you can't hang? Your giant 10 foot plus board is mighty dangerous to everyone else around if you aren't capable of handling the surf. Get out in the water, nobody really cares that much about what you're riding. Just be cool and show a little respect for your fellow wave riders.

~ Cheers!

OKC: More Than OK

It's a weird year in the NBA. It wouldn't shock me if a totally boring but consistent team, like the Spurs, win the title. The lockout, compressed schedule, injuries. Who knows?

But by far, the most fun team in my eyes are the Oklahoma City Thunder. Almost makes me get over the fact that poor people of Seattle were shafted by the sketchy ownership move. Almost...

Anyway...dig this from tonight's game with the Lakers...

Metta World Peace being shown to be Metta Slow Feet by the great Kevin Durant. Later in the game, the player formerly known as Artest would try to be the intimidator, but only ended up getting in the refs heads, earning a cheap technical foul and barely registering with the Thunder as they cruised away to the win.

Cheers!

I'm Too Sexy For My Debt

You probably get credit card offers in the mail. Phone calls, email, Twitter spam...it's America, and who can escape the mighty plastic card. I get 'em too. Weird enough, I recently received an offer for the Visa Black Card. Supposedly, this card offer is "...limited to only 1% of U.S. residents...".

Dude, being considered part of the 1% is seriously going to hurt my street cred.

I can attest, I am in no way a member of the financial elite. I'm not anti-money, but by the same token I'm certainly not being asked to join a country club any time soon. Well, you know what Groucho Marx said about joining clubs... Anyway, I think my credit is pretty decent enough. But either Visa is completely full of shit, or someone didn't do their math all the way through to the end when sending out invitations to the party. And why, might you ask, do I call this a "party"? Well...

When you're wearing a leather cat-suit, six inch heels, and your modes of transport include a motorcycle and a helicopter (the "gentleman valet" is holding the door and a helmet), I'm telling you, the party is on. Debt or no debt. And isn't that the point, really? We're all too sexy for our debt. But apparently we're not too sexy for services. 

Cardmembers enjoy a 24-hour Concierge Assistant, Exclusive Rewards Program, and Luxury Gifts from some of the world's top brands. Black Card's VIP Airport Lounge program provides unlimited visits. 

Who wouldn't pay $495 annually for all that? Wait, that question was so stupid, just pretend I never asked it.

Not merely a print campaign, there is a full length 'Back In Black' commercial. For a good laugh, er, I mean, to check out the sexy, click here. Speaking as someone who, at the age of twelve, freaking wore out his copy of this classic AC/DC album, there is only one word to explain what I feel after watching that: shame.

But wait, there's more...Best of all, this isn't just another plastic piece of crap in your wallet that will lead you down the road to over-spending, depression and despair. Oh no, my friend, this is something entirely different.

Made with carbon, the Visa Black Card is guaranteed to get you noticed. 

Yeah. I can't stop staring at that model's Black Card.

~ Cheers!

Random Saturday Night Thoughts

It's Saturday night. I must be getting old because I'm doing laundry and wishing that my neighbor would turn down the music. Why is it, by the way, that when people blast the tunes, they are always shitty tunes? Does the neighbor ever crank up a Shins record? Led Zeppelin? Something cool and obscure like Kraftwerk? Oh no, its full-on Dire Straights...MTV-era Dire Straights.

Enough of the mundane...In no particular order I can recommend the following:

• Espresso. I'm partial to Peet's, but I'm not religious. As long as it isn't drip coffee, I'm in. But Starbucks burns their beans. I'm just saying...

• Sunsets. It's cliché, but when is the last time you went out of your way to watch the sun go down. And yet, it happens everyday, is quite beautiful, and is free.

• Eating fewer carbs. This is where I would normally place a picture of a great big fat person pushing their overloaded shopping cart around Walmart. But I'm feeling good tonight and the thought of trolling the internet to find said picture is too much of a bummer, even for me.

I did a 5 mile trail run this morning through the Hermosa Beach Greenbelt. It is quite awesome to have this place to run within a stone's throw of my house. 

And as mentioned in a previous post, the fact that I'm running at all is a bit of a surprise to begin with. But if I could only run on a track or sidewalk or a tread mill at the gym, well, I'm not sure it would happen at all. There's something about a trail that makes it a completely different experience.

Another totally fascinating fact which absolutely needs to be recorded into the blogosphere is that I've moved into "minimal" running shoes. It is a different feel for sure, but I think I'm digging them. The idea is that when you go minimal, or closer to barefoot, you are forced to land on the ball or mid-sole. Which is more physiologically correct and will help you avoid injuries, over striding, heel striking, etc. I've only had them a week, but so far the Merrell Trail Gloves are feeling good.

We're funny, modern human beings. Spending $100 for a "minimal" shoe in order to get closer to "running naturally". Well, I'll cop to doing some absurd shit. But I'm still not gonna rock out to Mark Knopfler. A man must retain some semblance of pride.

Cheers!

Something About Football

So here is what I want to say about football (soccer for the die hard Yanks)...

Readers may recall that in a previous post I made a crack about British football and I may have said that they need to STFU. What I mean by that is this: stop telling me that the Premier League is the epitome of football, European or otherwise. If the Premier League is any good at all, it is because of the abundance of non-English players and non-English style of play. Ok, bring on the hate mail from across the pond...

The easiest way to describe the totally boring, ultra-conservative English style of play is the absurd, yet still commonly used, "punt the ball down the pitch and see what happens". You know what I mean. You've seen it a million times. Never fails to be dull. And stupid.

Yeah, why bother controlling the ball when you can just shoot it a mile in the air and hope that it finds the head of one your teammates and that he can somehow control where the ball flies off of his cranium. A winning strategy and so lovely to watch.

Contrast that style with that of a team like Barcelona and the great midfield control of Xavi.

Now, I know they are about the best in the world at ball control and the passing game and all that, but even stupid kids on a playground understand the simple rule that says if you have the ball then your opponent does not have the ball. Note: if you have the ball your chances of scoring are greatly increased, whereas your opponent has equally diminished chances. But hey, screw that, we're English. Our goal keepers send the ball sailing down the field so wonderfully. Its tradition.

Pointless and boring seem more on target.

In a sport like Ice Hockey, the "dump and chase" makes sense - because it is perfectly legal for the defense to flatten the puck carrier. But in a game where the rules favor the player controlling the ball, it makes the most sense to keep control of the ball. (The argument can even be made in Ice Hockey, if you can assemble a talented enough team, that puck control also carries a huge advantage. See Detroit Red Wings recent history).

I was watching a Premier League game the other day and at half time they gave a stats recap. You know what they didn't bother measuring? Possession time. Can't keep control of the ball? Get ready to lose in the Champions League, again. Which is fine. Just stop telling me that England is where its at for soccer. I might be an American, but I'm not totally stupid.

Cheers!