The Little Pill

While not a new design, the Little Pill has undergone some refinements during the last few seasons. The outline has become sleeker, the foil more tuned in for better waves, and the entry rocker increased.
It's not a groveler, and will go well with south swells--lowtide reefbreak, beachbreak, or anywhere where speed and control are in high demand.
This one's a five finner with a light and snappy set of bamboo side fins by Marlin Bacon at 101Fin Co., but they work well as quads for a little extra oh my! sensation.
My preference du jour? 2+1 . Why? No idea, just feels good.
Know what feels bad? Holding a surfboard like this in a stiff breeze.
Insane resin work, as per usual, by Leslie Anderson at Fatty Fiberglass.
This Little Pill stands 6'5 1/4 x 21, and is up for grabs. Shoot me an email if you're interested. It should be taken several times a day with lots of water.

The Green Machine

Back in college, the dorm affectionately referred to as KW (Keyes-Wasserman) was comprised of single occupancy rooms only. In college, single occupancy rooms exist for two reasons:
1. Occupant is seeking a tranquil venue for contemplation and study.
2. Occupant is seeking a tranquil venue for getting it on.
Both make sense to me.
So much so that when identically-initialed SF shred enthusiast KW expressed interest in a board, I waved all aspects of my formal vetting process (hazily-framed inquiries regarding beer and pornography preferences) and got to it.
The product, a double-wing quad fish, speaks to Kevin's interest in a more sustainable surfboard (100% recycled EPS foam, epoxy resin, bamboo fins) and my Atlantic Coast nostalgia. Either way, this floating venue will provide a platform for both contemplation and getting it on, surf-wise.
On a side note of appreciation, I'd like to point out that there are very few glassers out there highly skilled in EPS/epoxy applications. There are fewer still (in fact, I can't think of any offhand) who are masterful enough to tint--that's right, not opaque, but tint--over EPS foam. There are perhaps a handful of people in the world who would tint a shaped EPS blank, sand it, double pinline it with resin, create a custom matching resin logo, then gloss and polish it.
Did I mention Leslie also gardens, breeds reptiles, and plays a mean guitar?
101 bambo quads keep boards snappy and happy.

The Darkness Knight

Local craftsman, father, and five-fin enthusiast Bobert probably surfed this morning. He most likely drove out to our local in the dark, paddled out in the dark, and and caught an excess of waves before the usual dawn crew squinted out at the ocean, cups of coffee cradled in their hands.
Surfing the predawn hours in our pinniped-rich waters requires equal parts stoke, denial, and chutzpah. Bob’s got an abundance of all three.
It also requires a big, white board—can you imagine losing your dark-colored stick in dark-colored water in the dark-colored morning in white shark territory?
Bobert’s 8’7 is designed for his immoderate morning rituals. Pulled in nose, thickness under the chest for hefty paddles in thick rubber, thinned tail for snap.
Five fingers of fun under the hood from master craftsman and all-around nice guy Marlin Bacon of 101Fin Co.
Normally, I'd say something like, "Watch out for Bobert and his new board blah, blah, blah," but it's pointless. This guy is out of the water, showered, and hard at work while we're still tucked under the covers, sleeping off our last Tecate, dreaming about the miracle of daybreak.

Blue ???day

One of the joys of being a teacher in the summertime is not knowing what the hell day it is. Bite me, nine-to-fivers!
This week's Blue ???day board comes via Ocean Beach surf enthusiast Hardy Danger, fresh from his Mexican honeymoon.
Faithful HHG readers may recall Hardy's inappropriate wedding night antics from a previous Blue Monday post. Seems he's gotten himself out of the doghouse and back into our chilly waters.
Is Hardy Danger an employee of the state? Nope.
Is he at all affiliated with coastal rescue, OB beach patrol, or lifesaving in general? Nope.
How he stealthed these photos is best left to the imagination.
This we do know, though: those 101FinCo bamboo quads indicate superior taste. Looks like they save lives, too!

Yellow Monday, EMail Monday, Non-Euphemisms

Film enthusiasts might recall a scene from Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs where intrepid, birdlike FBI cadet Clarice Starling pokes around in Hannibal Lector's storage unit (not a euphemism).
The powerful beam of her flashlight exposes all manner of objets d'freaky until it lands on the severed, pickled head of some dude from a side plot.
As you know, Email Monday, a time-honored tradition here at HeadHighGlassy, is the day we arm you with a government-issue flashlight and turn you loose, like Clarice Starling, into the unlit storage unit that is the HHG inbox.
First up!
Dear HHG,
Most of the time I love my full, diverse stable of surfboards. I can ride a different board each day of the month if I so choose.
Sometimes, however, late at night I feel soulless in my board hedonism. I think that somewhere there walks a single surfboard--The One design--that will satisfy all my needs.
Does this mean I'm ready to commit to just one board?
Board Bachelor
Dear BB, Don't do it!
Order more boards, experiment with more designs, swap out fins, exchange boards with friends, fill out order cards like they're free raffle tickets for even more surfboards. You see, guys and gals who have committed to The One board design rely on you to remind them of their own quiver-abundant days, when they, too, could leave the garage with a board under each arm and two already in the car. It's not hedonism, BB, it's living the dream.

Dear HHG,
I got kind of drunk the other night and had a fantasy about ordering a thruster (not a euphemism). Is this normal?
Tri-Curious
TC, You are perfectly normal. Please consult Board Bachelor for support.

Dear HHG, this week marks the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Traditionally, Jews eat dairy to commemorate God's delivery of the Torah to the Israelites, but I'm lactose intolerant. What to do with this meshugganah?
CircumSurfer
CS, the tradition stems from the fact that the Torah introduced the law of kosher and, since Jews had just received the Torah, they didn't have time to prepare meat in kosher cookware that night (not a euphemism). May 28th, The first night of Shavuos, would be a great night for a salad and some home-rolled sushi. l'chayim!

Yellow Monday is another time-honored tradition. This week's yellow board is for Northcoast fish-enthusiast Robert.
Black tapered foam-stain panels and full-board deep yellow tint by Leslie Anderson at Fatty Fiberglass.
Hotcoating, sanding, finning, leash-plug install, glossing, and polishing also done by Leslie.

Bamboo fins by Marlin Bacon.
Hope the Memorial Day weekend found you engaged with something important.

Bad Metaphor Monday (now with more board p0rn!)

Recent claims in HeadHighGlassy that now seem foolish in retrospect:
1. The heat. I recently called out the red-wine-only drinking elite by singing the praises of Chardonnay, an overpurchased and overciticised varietal if there ever was one. Sort of like the Jessica Simpson of beverages. Now that it's raining and 48 degrees inside my house, that seems kind of dumb.
2. Establishing a link between swine flu outbreaks and democratic presidents. This one wasn't me, but it's dumb enough to have made its debut on these very (electronic) pages.
Recent claims in HeadHighGlassy I solemnly stand by:
1. A little board porn always takes the edge off a Monday, even if it's posted after midnight EST.
2. Spring brings out the resin tints like colored boards are ants and spring is a honey-covered dipstick.
Exhibit A: a 7'10 egg for Dexter enthusiast, father, and stoked surfer Danny who sent this picture to enchanting glasser Leslie Anderson. A likeness was requested.
An interpretation, in full resin, gloss, and polish was delivered.
Lokbox rail fin boxes+long center box= more possibilities than a lazor hair-removal technician in a room full of my relatives.
Pointbreak foil.
Pointbreak-friendly orange deck.
Pointbreak-destroying 101 FinCo bamboo quads.
Everything in the above picture was made by hand in California. Even the gravel driveway originated less than a stone's throw (sorry) from my house. I shit you not.

Pit Boss: know when to hold 'em

Much like its namesake in the casino, the Pit Boss keeps things in check when the dealing gets rough.

This one's loaded: five fins, red cedar stringer, and handsome coke-bottle resin tint with matching resin pinline by Leslie Anderson.
Stands a proud 6'10".

Clive Owen, who attempts to pull a fast one on his pit boss in the excellent Croupier, stands seven-and-a-half inches shorter.

Russell Crowe, a Roman style pit boss in the gladiator ring, is a mere 5'11". A board this size would not keep things in check when the dealing got rough.
At least not up here, even if you were wearing leather danglies from your waistbelt.

Bamboo glasson fins by the talented craftsman Marlin at the 101FinCo.

This Pit Boss got a tour of my house after I received several expressive emails from a surfy French buddy informing me that wood floor photos of surfboards had become cliche in the SurfBlogoShpere. Who knew?

The 6'10 Chronicles, and Literary Nerd Contest!

I love 6'10 rounded pintail season!

I also love weekends like these--'unseasonably' warm temps, a good swell in the water, and my lovely wife's experiments with Brussels sprouts and the perfect warm winter salad. Doesn't get much better unless, of course, you can factor in a lovely Fatty Fiberglass job.

Leslie couldn't resist putting her stamp on this one--a retro style Hastings blue tint, wrap, and deep red pinline on a thoroughly contemporary step-up shortboard. Local he-ripper Mr. M will be stoked.

Something old made new again, or maybe something new made old again.
ANNOUNCEMENT! I hereby declare the First Whenever-I-Feel-Like-It HeadHighGlassy Literary Nerd Contest. The first LitNerd who can tell me the name of the Junot Diaz short story where the line "something old made new again" is used to menacing effect wins a free Jamie Murray Custom Surfboards t-shirt (American Apparel, so you know it's schweet!).
Hint: the line is delivered by a man appropriately named Barbaro.

What's that? Are those 101 Fin Co. bamboo thrusters?
Another Announcement! 101 Fin Co. bamboo fins+ the Lokbox removable/adjustable fin system=insane.
Last Announcement! Come on out to the Toad in the Hole Pub in downtown Santa Rosa's Railroad Square (116 5th street) this Thursday night (Jan 15th) for their first monthly Surf Movie Night. This month features live music from the local surfabilly rockers Mr. December--upright bass and ukulele. I promised not to divulge the movie, but it's a good one, and, as always, the Guinness will be poured by an actual Irishman. Come on out!

Five Fingers of Fun

It's a real pleasure working with guys like E from Up North. Open-minded, willing to put up with my more, um, obsessive board-building tendencies, and stoked out of his mind.
He's also got a bitchin' Northcoast blog here that highlights stoke, fog, and his impressive photography skills.

This Campbell Brothers inspired egg measures in at 6 1/2ish and features hand-foiled bamboo blades by 101 Fin Company's Marlin Bacon--just the right combination of snap and soul.

Glassing (including fins, opaque bottom wrap and pinline) by Leslie Anderson, who once got drunk and told me she had a crush on Mitt Romney.

This board is designed as an all 'rounder, but I predict that on the morning the first long-period NW of the season starts to show on the buoys, this little egg is going to creep into bed with E and begin to whisper...

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

80s television hit series The Facts of Life's (featuring a then unknown George Clooney, pictured with full cast below) theme song urged us to take The Good, to take The Bad. "Take them both," the peppy jingle advocated, because, when combined, these two opposing forces form 'The Facts of Life.'

(whose hair is feathered better--Clooney, or Tootie?)
I was too soft-brained during this SitCom's run to appreciate how the abject nihilism and tenacious good-cheer embedded in its opening lyrics reflected our 80s nation: engaged in a dark, secretive Cold War, yet hypnotized by bright colors, reckless fashion choices, and dancing, dancing, dancing!
It's been a week of opposing forces up here, too. First (The Bad), my beloved MacBook was stolen. However, six days later (The Good), the teenage architect of this heinous crime was brought to justice, my laptop returned lighter by a few thousand personal files and photos, but heavier by some disquieting porn and game downloads.
Speaking of lighter (The Bad), this week also saw gastrointestinal gnarliness strike, leaving nothing in the house unscathed. It was like Invasion!From Planet C if the invaders were parasites and 'C' stood for 'colon.' Not pretty. However, (The Good) saltines were ingested, ginger ale was sipped, and most of us are feeling better.
Surf-wise, (The Bad) there was wind, and there was wind. However (The Good), a few pulses of south swell fought their way to our shores, providing a few peelers for those in the know.
The week continued, offering up some classic oppositions. It was hot (Bad for baby) so we blew up the pool (Good for baby). Gas prices rose (Bad), so we didn't drive (Good).
School ended (Good), so...well, that one has no downside.

(6'10" round-tail bonzer-inspired egg with 101 Fin Co bamboos for stoked bro up north)
In the midst of all this Facts of Life, a few plugs of foam were transformed into sparkling surfboards, resin and fiberglass were added, hardened, got sanded, got polished, got waxed, got surfed. A trip to the Fattyshack restored the stoke and belief in human generosity. Some beautiful fins arrived from 101 Fin Co.

(rootbeer tint Fatty special quad ripstick)
It's the stuff inbetween the Facts of Life, when I'm not struggling with a setback or a solution, where I find some sort of grace.
Neither good nor bad, but there you have it.