Living Afraid Isn't Living . . . . . . . . by Jason Gastrich

Top 10 Celebrities Who Need to Dye Their Gray Hair

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:25:37 PDT

From Top to Bottom:
Taylor Hicks, Mark Harmon, Jamie Lee Curtis, George W. Bush, Jay Leno, Brett Favre, Antonio Banderas, Harrison Ford, Anderson Cooper, Ben Stiller

Bob Smiley - Still Cracking Me Up!

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:20:36 PST

Check out this email he just sent me!

I like splitting people into groups. For instance, say its "Hammer Time" and some people will squat and shuffle across the floor while others will go out to their truck to get a hammer. Sing, "5,6, 7, 8 Schlemiel..." and every adult will instantly shout "Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!" while kids will say, "Schlemiel Foshizzle Dizzle yo!" (Yes...I'm saying Snoop Dog ripped off Laverne and Shirley...the original Inner city rappers)

Say "Hot Cakes" to my grandmother and she's ready for a good pancake breakfast. Say "Hot Cakes" to my kids and they think I'm calling my wife.

Try this. Sing "Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na" and some people will clap their hands and involuntarily throw their hands to their armpits and start chicken dancing. They cant control it. Its ingrained in their Wedding-Attending-DNA. Others will simply hand you a card for a good therapist.

Money separates people, too. Last summer we moved to a rich area even though we aren't rich. We made a low ball offer to this elderly couple for their house and they took it! I think they thought I was their grand kid. I can still remember making them the ridiculous offer:

"We'd like to buy your house, Nana, so your great grand kids will have a safe place to play."

And they gave it to us! Maybe it was the low housing market.

The town is too rich, though. All the fire trucks use bottled water. Our hotel caught fire and you couldn't buy Evian for weeks! The local grocery store doesn't sell "Chuck Roast". It sells "Charles Roast." The town is too rich. Most towns have red light cameras at the intersections. Our town has hired real photographers! Last week I ran a yellow light. I sped through as the photographer went, "Yes. Yes...good. good. Now give me pouty!" Anyway, I ended up with an $60 ticket and a nice 8 X 10.

However, I think common sense is the best way to separate people. Some people have it and others work for airlines. Last week I was supposed to fly from Houston to Dallas and then to Abilene. The American Airlines ticket agent informed me that the Dallas to Abilene flight was canceled. I asked, "Why?" She said, "I dont know." (American Airline's new motto is "That's not my job, Man!" They're going to put it on their website as soon as they can figure out who's supposed to do it.)

Then the agent proceeded to check my bag through to Abilene. I said, "I thought that flight was cancelled?"
She said, "We'll get it there eventually."
I asked her to let me get my bag in Dallas and I'd rent a car and drive to Abilene.
She said, "I cant make that reservation for you."
I assured her I'd handle the rental car and then she proceeded to cancel my entire flight itinerary for the next 3 days!

Finally, I got on the Houston plane and the pilot proceeded to make me nervous by...well, talking.

He said, "Good morning everyone...uhhhh......you're on flight 28..uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....1...we've got a smooth flight over to....uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......(Hey Larry...where are we going?) uhhhhhhhh............Dallas."

Look, if you cant talk with confidence then just dont talk at all. Just do your job. Fly the plane until American cancels it!

And all pilots do the "uhhhhhh" thing while talking on the intercom. I wonder if they talk like that in everyday situations.

(drive through) "Welcome to McDonalds, can I take your order?"
(Pilot) "Yes, I'll have a happy...uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....meal."
OR
(Preacher) "Do you take this woman to be your bride?"
(Pilot) "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Anyway, I was sweating after we took off. So, I took out my awesome I-phone, put it on flight mode, and started using the deodorant App. (Actually, that's a joke but you know half of you thought, "Does the Iphone do that?") Anyway, the Flight attendant instantly told me to turn off my phone. He said it was a federal offense and I could go to jail. I'm not making this up! He said I'd go to jail for using my I-phone even on flight mode. How bad would that be?

(Me) "What are you in jail for?"
(Prisoner) "I shot someone, what about you?"
(Me) "Well, I was flying while playing tap tap on my Iphone. So dont mess with me!"
(Prisoner) "You were actually flying? So you obviously weren't on American Airlines!"
(Me) "Good one, Mr. Chaney!"

Anyway, yesterday someone asked me about the end of the world. I've been getting that question a lot since the election...and since "Dancing with the Stars" became a hit show. That's when it hit me, the end of the world is the ultimate separation of people. And all you have to do to be on the right side is accept the greatest gift you will ever be offered. Its that simple. It's common sense. Hopefully I'll find my bag before all that happens, though.

You can become a Facebook fan here or you can visit his site here. I've seen him live a few times and I can't stop laughing.

Alice in Chains - The Hollywood Palladium Show and Band Review

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:58:29 PST

On February 13, 2010, I saw Alice in Chains perform live at The Palladium in Hollywood, California. It was an amazing show and easily in my top 5 concerts ever (and I’ve been to hundreds, so that’s saying something). These guys really know how to bring it… here’s my review.

I was turned on to Alice in Chains right after I graduated high school. I recall listening to the Facelift album in Chris Lamb’s nook in the San Carlos area of La Mesa. Songs like Sea of Sorrow, Man in a Box and We Die Young we’re enjoyed while we played video games and relaxed.

The Dirt album dropped on September 29, 1992, which was about a month after I moved into the dorms at San Diego State University. I recall listening to the album with Chris Clayton (who lived down the 1st floor hall from me in Tarastec). He had a few friends from his gang in Vista and they surfed and played instruments. One kid was a drummer and he knew the drums to Would?. I remember several of us sitting in Chris’ dorm room and he played the amazing ending beat for beat! My mouth dropped as I watched him and I thought it was amazing. It gave me the chills!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my drug experimentation (which had no long term effects!) in relation to this band. I recall these guys making me grind me teeth on acid. I haven't used that drug in a long time, but I remember listening to AIC was intense. So driving, so powerful, so emotional, so real. It actually compelled me to pace around my balcony and smoke until I called Chris and Andy, who were trippin' as well. I remember drinking and smoking with them... we could easily have taken over the world that night. We charged onto the SDSU campus and took everything in - from the grass to the cloud shapes to the thoughts in our heads. Balboa Stadium was ours that night.

During my first years in college, I afflicted myself. I guess my life was too good or too sheltered or something. I didn’t care about moderation and my motto was “go big or go home!” For about 2 years, I smoked cigarettes (mainly while drinking at parties), drank too much nearly every night and experimented. I remember listening to Nirvana and Alice in Chains and I’d let the depressing music take me way down. I wanted to feel how they felt because I had never felt that way before.

If there is one thing this band does very well, it’s ushering in a mood. Many of their songs are in alternate tunings (e.g. not standard EADGBE tuning) and in minor keys. Layne Staley had (and now William DuVall has) a great voice, so I doubt they changed the key to accommodate their vocal ranges. Jerry Cantrell also has an excellent voice. Therefore, they must have done it to create a unique, dissonant sound because that was the end result and it has become part of their signature.

Yes, I was high on cannabis when the drummer in my dorm played the amazing air drums on that fine day back in 1992. Perhaps it increased my puzzlement. That’s why it was particularly gratifying when... *section removed for personal journal*

The song Rooster blew the crowd away. You could feel the emotion and the pain as they played their song about the Vietnam War. According to anecdotes, the Vietnamese didn’t have eagles in their country, so when they saw the eagle on the American planes and jackets, they called it a rooster. They had plenty of those. “Here comes the rooster. You know he ain’t gonna die.” It was a heavy, dark, sad song with great guitar-driven effects and they knocked it out of the park.

I was also stoked to hear hits like Man in a Box, We Die Young, Would?, Sickman, Dam That River, Down in a Hole, Angry Chair, No Excuses (check out my bass cover of it here), Got Me Wrong and several others. They also played several new songs (like Check My Brain, which is cool – check out my electric guitar cover of it here) and if it were up to me, I probably would have traded hearing one of their old hits or one of my obscure favorites over a new song or two they played, but oh well).

For some reason, it never dawned on me that Alice in Chains wrote the song We Die Young (which was their first hit, released in 1990) and Layne Stayley died at age 34 in 2002. Wow. I don’t know all of the details surrounding his death, but I do know a few things. Stayley came from a broken home and struggled with drug addiction his entire life. His drugs of choice were cocaine and heroin (which I’ve never tried). He was engaged to a girl and she died from a rare disease and this sent him further into depression and drug use and one day he mixed too much of those two drugs (and possibly alcohol) and he died.

I find the ambiguous lyrics in Check My Brain quite interesting. California is mentioned several times and not only do I live in California, but I knew a knockout girl named California when I was about 18 or 19 years old. She hung out with me and Jack Howard when we hung out at the beach. Jack’s parents owned a house on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach and his grandparents owned a house on the bay in Crown Point (or maybe I have that backwards), so we would party at both. So, their lyrics make me smile when they say, “California, I’m fine” and “California’s all right (somebody check my brain).”

A cool distinctive quality of the band Alice in Chains is the vocal harmonies between Layne (and now William) and Jerry Cantrell. Incidentally, when the show began, Jerry was at the center stage microphone and he sang and played guitar. To me, it said it was his band and he’s back with the boys to kick some ass. William did end up singing lead for some of the songs (like Rooster and Sickman) and traded microphones with Jerry a couple of times.

It was cool to hear the original drummer and current bassist (who came on board in 1993, after the Dirt album) perform. Mike Inez and Sean Kinney are excellent musicians and they’d have to be to play in a band with Jerry Cantrell. Mike’s super catchy bass line in No Excuses drives that hit song. In fact, you can hear thumping bass walking around most songs. And Sean’s sweet drum rolls at the end of Would? put a juicy exclamation point on it! Mike Starr (their original bassist) should be mentioned as well because he wrote some awesome bass lines for the Facelift and Dirt albums.

While I was wondering if there was an opening band or not, I checked out my iLike iPhone application and it told me. I was able to find another band playing at The Palladium on the same night at 8pm. If you’ve ever tried to find out whether an opening band was playing or not, you’ll know this info is often really hard to find. Since I was able to confirm the first band and I knew the doors opened at 8pm, I knew I could get there by 9pm and be ok. And somehow I parked at 9pm on the dot!

Oh yeah, one more funny thing that happened. My roommate and I used to bang our long hair to Alice in Chains, so when I was enjoying the concert, I banged my head and hair a bit. It was fun as hell, but I was surprised to hear some guy behind me tell me nice job when I was done! Haha. Like it was choreographed or something. I just told him I felt it in my bones and that was all that really needed to be said.

Check out my cover of It Aint Like That.

Check out my cover of Brother.

As I sit here now and listen to Got Me Wrong (the unplugged version), I’m blown away. I hear Layne’s howling, growling scream and Jerry’s backing vocals and quick, melodic guitar work. The bass isn’t sleeping either and the drums keep everything running right on time, emphasizing certain phrases and moments. The song rings true because the singer is transparent. He is authentic. He is real. I also hear Led Zeppelin because they’re the ones who patented all four instruments kicking ass at once.

On the night of the AIC show, I didn’t even realize it until I tried to speak, but my voice was hoarse! I guess I had been singing and screaming a little too much. When I got out of the venue, I took my iPhone out to text someone and I said, “Is it ok to pull my iPhone out here or will I get mugged?” to the guy next to me. It was a struggle to get the words out… woulda been funnier if I had. lol

I’ve been able to articulate something unique about Jerry Cantrell’s chops (and it’s a little hard to find a common thread because he uses a lot of different effects like harmonics, distortion, flanger, reverb and bent notes, not to mention sounds that are difficult to find!). He uses a lot of second intervals in his hooks. In other words, part of the lick involves two notes right next to each other (e.g. D# and E in It Aint Like That). This particular signature sounds cool and even a little eerie sometimes.

Oh yeah, this is random, but on my way home I was blasting my music and driving on the freeway from Hollywood to San Diego. Somewhere on I-5 in Orange County, a cop car pulled up to my left side and pulled even with me. He took out his light and shined it in my eyes, through my window. My front windows are tinted pretty dark, so maybe that was why. At any rate, I cringed a little and he turned off the light. I slowly took my foot off the gas pedal and he quickly pulled ahead of me. Yeesh! Close call.

Two big huge thumbs up for Alice in Chains! These guys haven’t missed a beat. Can’t wait for more!

Below are links to several interviews. These apparently took place three days after the show. It’s hard to tell for sure, but they’re definitely from 2010. It was cool to listen to them. As it seemed in the show, they have a certain degree of arrogance because of their talents… and probably rightfully so. These guys are indeed rock stars with plenty of attitude and angst - whether you like them or not.

By the way, coming back after a lengthy hiatus and having TWO number ONE hits is very commendable. Looking forward to more!

Now for the interviews:

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

ABOUT LAYNE STAYLEY

INTERVIEW WITH WILLIAM DUVALL AND SEAN KINNEY

Check out Alice in Chains’ discography here.

How to Respond to Craigslist Scammers

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:49:32 PST

-----Original Message-----
From: moro moret [mailto:moromoret@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 4:57 AM
To: sale-dj7bt-1605130523@craigslist.org
Subject: iPhone 3GS 16GB - Like New - $499 (Pacific Beach) Date: 2010-02-17, 10:31AM PST Reply to: sale-dj7bt-1605130523@craigslist.org

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

--
Hello
is your item still available?
get back to me asap
Thanks

------------------------------------------------------------------
this message was remailed to you via: sale-dj7bt-1605130523@craigslist.org
------------------------------------------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Jason Gastrich
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 4:41 PM
To: 'moro moret'
Subject: RE: iPhone 3GS 16GB - Like New - $499 (Pacific Beach) Date: 2010-02-17, 10:31AM PST Reply to: sale-dj7bt-1605130523@craigslist.org

Yes, but I will only sell locally. If you're in other parts of the U.S., you can buy it on eBay here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330405913763&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

If you're in other parts of the world, you're shit out of luck pal.

_________________

Seem like a harsh reaction? If so, you've probably never sold small valuables on eBay because I've gotten countless emails like this one because I sell a lot. The next thing they do is ask you to accept a wire transfer (or even PayPal payment) and then you're supposed to ship it overseas. After shipping, the payment will be refunded to them (aka the person they stole the credit card from) and you'll have nothing. Don't fall for scams. Like Craigslist says, deal locally.

15' Waves @ Sunset Cliffs - Feb. 13-15, 2010

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:55:29 PST

February 15, 2010 – This was another epic session! Wow, the waves were nearly as big as they were yesterday, hitting 15’+ feet! I caught some amazing rides. I should have done a voice recording on my way home…

On one wave 14’ wave, I took it right for awhile, then it was closing and I dropped in and it ping ponged me BIG TIME. It was friggin gnarly because I felt my body launch out of the water! I gripped my board tightly with both hands and stayed on it. There was spray everywhere and I could hardly see anything. It seemed that I probably launched 6-8 feet out of the water and the wave kept pushing me along! In fact, it felt like I bounced off the wave and white wash and flew a few more feet up and straight. Somehow, I was able to finally get in front of the whitewash wave and cut right a little. I was stoked, so I let out a scream and I saw some dude paddling out nearby. I even flipped a spin to finish the ride off. Wow, what a ride.

On another 14’ wave, I turned 180 before dropping in and I put one hand on the board’s side and the other hand on the nose while leaning into the board on my right side. Well, I dropped in this monster wave just like that and it was insane. It felt like I was in a water park today!

I got caught in the washing machine once and it sucked. In fact, some 14 footers were breaking directly in front of me and I was in the worst possible location. After swallowing a little water and ducking diving several times (btw, did you know that when you duck dive a 14’ wave as it breaks in front of you, it grabs you, throws you under water and rapes you before letting go?) I was able to limp over to the channel and paddle back out.

I spent about an hour and twenty minutes in the water. My new leash didn’t break. I put some Vaseline on my blisters and it helped a little. The water was pretty cold, but it didn’t bother me at all in my 4/3 wet suit, 5mm gloves and 2mm boots. The air temp was 75 degrees and it was a beautiful day. The duck I keep seeing out there was out there again. I told some surfer I was going to name him… but have yet to do so, so here goes. I hereby name that saltwater duck, um Salty! : )

So far, this El Nino Winter has been pretty epic. If I can get over the days spent out of the water, the cloudy and rainy days, the waves have been really big. I’ve been going to Sunset Cliffs because my break in PB looks horrible in comparison. Seriously, there are 5 second rides for like 25 yards (maybe) in PB. Sometimes you get a longer one, but even a blind squirrel sometimes finds a nut. At the cliffs, the waves break bigger and longer. The reef below that goes from channel to channel is probably 200 yards across, so theoretically, you could catch a wave for 2 football fields! I know I’ve caught 100 yards waves at the cliffs and probably even longer. Plus, if the waves are really big like they have been, they also break in the channel, so you can catch a wave even further!

My last wave of the day was a real juicy left. It wasn’t the biggest one out there, but it was about 10-11 feet and I took it left for awhile, then after it broke, I rode the whitewash right toward the stairs. I was really far out there, so it took a little bit, but it was fun and put me in a great location to exit. The sun was halfway under the horizon when I was getting out of the water. Good timing.

February 2010 Surf Total: 7 hours
February 2010 Other Exercise Total: 6 hours, 15 minutes
February 2010 Grand Total: 13 hours, 15 minutes
2010 Surf Total: 24 hours
2010 Grand Total: 47 hours, 15 minutes

February 14, 2010 – Today I caught huge waves at Sunset Cliffs. They were reaching heights of 16’+. It was truly amazing and I caught some waves that were so big, I nearly pooped my pants. I dropped it on some gigantic lefts and rights. However, after the long paddle out and my first tasty wave, I ducked under a wave and my leash broke, again. This caused me to have to swim all the way back in. I bodysurfed one wave and eventually a surfer grabbed my board and brought it to me on his paddle out. Sweet!

Virtually all of the waves I catch at Sunset Cliffs are long, meaty rides. It’s simply amazing there. The reef break is really spectacular. It blows beach breaks away, unless you’re into short rides and closeouts. I took one super long right for about 100 yards or so. It just kept going and going and going! Wow, what a ride and what a session.

It was a negative low tide at the cliffs and it was breaking very nicely. Some waves were breaking in the channel, though. This made it a little more difficult to paddle out. However, once you made it out, it was epic. The reef break provides plenty of spots to chill and rest and whenever I’m ready, I simply paddle over to the launch point and go for it!

I caught waves for over an hour… about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I hope the swell holds through tomorrow!

February 2010 Surf Total: 5 hours, 45 minutes
February 2010 Other Exercise Total: 6 hours, 15 minutes
February 2010 Grand Total: 12 hours
2010 Surf Total: 22 hours, 45 minutes
2010 Grand Total: 46 hours

February 13, 2010 – This was a pretty epic session. The waves were huge at Sunset Cliffs. The form was fair and the waves were 8-12 ft., occ. 13-15 ft. You can hear all about it here. I caught waves for just over 2 hours. Afterwards, I jumped in my car and drove to Hollywood for the Alice in Chains concert. They played for 2 solid hours!

February 2010 Surf Total: 4 hours, 30 minutes
February 2010 Other Exercise Total: 6 hours, 15 minutes
February 2010 Grand Total: 10 hours, 45 minutes
2010 Surf Total: 22 hours, 45 minutes
2010 Grand Total: 44 hours, 45 minutes

A Cool, Little Symbiotic Relationship

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:42:53 PST

I’ve been mesmerized by my cat, lately. I have this cool cat named Blackey and she likes to play fetch, lay in my lap, play fight and climb curtains and screen doors. Could you ask for more?

I’ve been thinking about oil. Yep, good old human sweat. If you’ve owned a cat and if you’ve ever watched it for awhile, you’ll already know this, but cats use the oil we give them to make their fur shiny. They spread it around their entire body (well, all they can reach). They even give it to other cats!

Two days ago, I walked in the house and Blackey started looking at me. She followed me into the bedroom, jumped on the dresser and sought my attention. I gave her a kiss and rubbed her soft fur on my face. She promptly jumped down, ran into the other room and sat at Whitey’s (our other cat’s) feet. Whitey doesn’t get as much attention as Blackey, so she doesn’t get as much oil for her fur. Consequently, she licked it right off Blackey and used it!

Studies have shown that people who own cats or dogs live longer. Petting animals can be relaxing, relieving stress. It’s interesting how we can have such a relationship with an animal. Perhaps I'll elaborate one day.

13-2 victory and my hat trick! Hooray!

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:46:59 PST

February 7, 2010 – I played in an exciting soccer game today. I scored one goal in the first half and two in the second half. On one of them, I took it all the way from my half of the field to their goal. On another, the defender was on my right foot and I was in front of the goal. While dribbling toward the defender and the goal, I stepped over it quickly with my right foot, then tapped it to the left with my left foot and shot it in the lower left corner of the goal. Goooooooooooooooal!

We had a shutout in the first half. It was sweet and having Todd back was great as well. We have two awesome goalies – one of which can play field positions very well! We’re a force to be reckoned with and next week we play against Drunk Again and Looking to Score (who was 2-3 before today’s game). We’ll be missing three players, so we might pick up a new player or two to fill the gap.

They ended up getting two goals in the second half, but we won 13-2. On one of their goals, a hot shot ricocheted off me and off Todd before hitting the back of the net. Arg. I was pretty pissed at that moment because my defense and I had not let up a goal in nearly 2 full games. Oh well.

On one play, Todd dove and blocked a shot and left the goal open. They settled the ball and took another shot and I slid and kicked it out just in time. However, since the field was drenched from the recent rainfall, I slid about 6 feet and was called for a penalty! I politely complained to the referee and said it was because of the wet field, but he wouldn’t change his mind. I was stoked to find it was only an indirect kick and we could make a wall. And they didn’t score on the kick. Whew.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the fight at the end of the game. I was on the other side of the field, but evidently one of their male defenders was starting to push one of our girls. As I headed over, lots of others came over and the benches began to clear. Lani threw a bottle and hit one of their players (although I didn’t see it) and three red cards were issued. With about a minute left in the game, they simply decided to run it off and end it. That was what I suggested because I only saw more fighting if the game were to continue… and this game was over long ago. : )

As soon as I stepped on the field (I know, flashback), I noticed it was very moist. There were no puddles, which was great, but I thought they would cover the fields and they would be dryer than it was. By game’s end, my socks and shoes were completely drenched to the point where I could wring them out! Some girls needed male players in the game after ours, but I was soaked so I couldn’t help them. Mike said playing with them would be better than Match.com, lol, so Andres and Tony joined them.

I ended up with 3 goals, 2 assists and a save. Can you tell I like keeping stats? When I coach teams, I keep stats for every player. I wish the league would keep detailed stats on everyone. Nonetheless, so far…

Game 1: 1 goal, 2 assists, 2 min. penalty for slide tackling (L, by a goal or two)
Game 2: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 min. penalty for dissent (L, by a goal or two)
Game 3: 1 assist, 2 min. penalty for slide tackling (W, 3-1 )
Game 4: 0 (L, 7-6)
Game 5: 1 save (W, 3-0)
Game 6: 3 goals, 2 assists, 1 save (W, 13-2)
Total: 5 goals, 6 assists, 2 saves (3 W, 3 L)

Bounced Off a Bald Guy's Dome - Sunset Cliffs, CA

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:37:18 PST

February 1, 2010 – When I exited the water yesterday, I noticed my board was leaking. While examining it, I noticed there was a hole and a bit of delamination. When I opened the hole with my finger, a ton of water rushed out. Yeah, I guess the board was a bit heavy… so today I took it to Clairemont Surf Shop for an exchange and left with a new Custom X board! They have to let the rep see it in order to give me a credit on the newly purchased board, but I had to have something for today! The surf was off the hook!

Yesterday, the waves were GIANT (as you may have read in an early blog post). I knew they’d be a little smaller today, but I was pretty sure they’d still be very big. My surf report is usually wrong, but it’s usually incrementally (and predictably) off. So, I was pleased to see the big sets in the 12’+ range – and of course it was breaking consistently! Man, I’m spoiled! This break beats the hell out of my beach break.

One crazy thing happened to me today and it actually seems a bit unreal. I was dropping in on this huge, 10-11 foot right and three surfers with longboards were paddling out. Well, the time between me dropping in on the monster and turning right was all it took for me to be on top of these three guys.

Unfortunately for the guy in the middle, I couldn’t cut in between him and the other guy, so I rode over him. He ducked like a 4 year old girl and I literally bounced right off his balding head. Unfortunately for me, it led to one of my worst wipeouts ever. I think I got water in my sinuses and/or my lungs. It was quite lame. So, I felt really bad, although there was really nothing I could do. I also felt that I probably paid the price. I had landed some gnarly things before, but I suppose bouncing off a round head is harder than it sounds.

Before and after that travesty, I caught some awesome lefts and rights. On these waves, I often leaned forward on my board and took my body out of the water to decrease drag. There were some sweet, long rides, though. On one wave, I swam out through the north channel after going out from the stairs and I took a super long wave all the way to the other channel! It was awesome because the ride was fun and it put me right where I wanted to be. Paddling out the main channel, turning right and taking that epic right is, well, epic. So, that’s what I did.

My new board was lightening fast! I was screaming down these waves! Sometimes, I did gnarly spins that took me way out in front of the wave and I’m learning to stay on the wave even after crazy 720 spins. It’s tough and often depends on the wave, but I’ll work on it.

I was hoping to get tubed a couple of times and sort of did during a 180 Shooter, but I didn’t get fully tubed. The waves weren’t really tubing much. Not many waves were breaking in the channel, so that led to a long, mostly peaceful and uneventful paddle out.

I got caught in the washing machine once. It wasn’t fun because those waves just kept coming and coming. The cliffs are excellent at low tide because the waves catch more of the underwater reef and it breaks in the same places over and over and over. After feeling like Sherlock Holmes at the beach breaks in PB, as I hunted for corners, this was and is a welcome adventure.

You probably don’t want to hear about my blisters, but I’ve been getting some on my feet. The ones on top of my feet are from my fins. The ones on the sides of my feet are from my boots. Today, I cut some Velcro straps from my boots, so they fit better. I think I’m all good now.

In the past two days, I spent 3.5 hours in the water and played an indoor soccer game. I was hoping my massage was on my regular day (Tuesday), but I moved it to Thursday this week. Ug. I guess I’ll just keep stretching and drinking lots of water!

I’ve heard conflicting reports about tomorrow’s surf. One forecaster is saying it is picking up and another forecaster is saying it is declining and picking up Wednesday. So… I guess I’ll check the morning wave heights and decide for myself. Either way, Tuesday is looking good and Wednesday is looking great. Plus, there might be more swell on tap for later this week. I hope it doesn’t rain by the coast!

February 2010 Surf Total: 1 hour, 30 minutes
February 2010 Other Exercise Total:
February 2010 Grand Total: 1 hour, 30 minutes
2010 Grand Total: 35 hours, 30 minutes

My Email to Custom X

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:54:15 PST

Dear Custom X,

I regret to inform you that one Titan Custom X bodyboard has started to delaminate on me. It’s in the Clairemont Surf Shop store in San Diego right now, waiting for your review. In the meantime, I bought a new Titan Custom X bodyboard and it kicks ass (again). I tossed 720s at the cliffs and it was off-the-friggin-hook.

Waiting for sponsorship (and a free/warranty replacement board – fingers crossed),
Jason

P.S. I’m the same fool who creased my last Custom X board just above the stringer. Thanks for covering it! You guys have a wall of shame you can put me on?!

Adam Wright - Surf Forecaster, Man, Myth, Legend

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:55:31 PST

For the past few months, I've been reading Adam Wright's surf forecasts and they're awesome. This dude reads the charts, follows the storms and tells it like it is. He's way on top of every swell and even writes multiple, daily messages (yes, you're reading that right) about the surf - present and future. Here is where you can find him, so you can become his greatest fan... and follow the latest swell news!

Adam's web site
Adam's Facebook page
Email

Here are TWO emails he sent me today. One was sent around 4pm and one around 9pm. Just phenomenal for freaks like me who want to know exactly what's going on in the San Diego surf - both now and to come.

SENT TODAY AT 4:25pm

Forecast Overview

New WNW-NW swell starts to fill in slowly on Tuesday, peaks on Wednesday, and then fades later in the week. Another round of W-NW energy, and some more stormy weather, will push in on the weekend and hold more surf into early next week. Long-range charts are showing the potential for a bigger storm forming in a few days…and even the South Pacific is starting to get a little frisky.

Short Range (next 4 days)

Tuesday
Tuesday will start with mostly leftover WNW-NW swell and some background S-SSW swell but a new WNW-NW pulse (280-300) will be moving in slowly throughout the day and should be able to push in a few new waves by the end of the day (and even earlier up toward Ventura). Look for most average WNW facing breaks to see waist-chest high surf…standout NW breaks will be closer to shoulder high though the early morning. Things slow down again with the AM high tide but as the tide drops we should see more consistency and some bigger surf as the new WNW-NW’er fills in. I expect that the really exposed spots, mostly in Ventura, will have some head high+ sets showing before sunset. Winds/Weather: Winds look good for the morning…mostly light and variable to light ESE. Winds shift more S-SW onshore around 10-12 knots for the afternoon. Chance of light showers developing overnight into Wednesday.

Wednesday
The new WNW-NW swell will peak while weak S-SSW continues to drop off in the background. Most spots WNW facing spots will push back into the chest-head high range with some inconsistent overhead sets showing on the lower tides. The standout NW facing breaks, mostly in Ventura, the South Bay, and Southern San Diego, will have shoulder-overhead surf with sets going a couple of feet+ overhead on the lower tides. Winds/Weather: Winds will shift a touch more onshore on Wednesday...expect sort of light NW flow for the morning, likely below 10-knots, and even going light and variable in spots with some wind protection. NW winds 10-15+ knots move in during the afternoon.

Thursday
The WNW-NW swell (280-300) will drop in both size and swell period but will still push in some playful surf for the well exposed areas. Look for chest-shoulder high surf at the average WNW facing spots and some shoulder-head high surf at the better NW facing spots. Top NW spots down in Southern San Diego will see some more consistent overhead surf through the morning…losing some size by the afternoon. Winds/Weather: The winds switch around again as another cold front starts to move into the outer waters…weather looks dry at this point for Thursday…but winds will be pushing out of the SE for the morning around 10-12 knots and then building to about 10-15+ knots for the afternoon.

Friday
Looks a bit on the small side compared to earlier in the week…expect leftover WNW-NW swell with surf holding around waist-chest high for the average spots and just a few shoulder high sets showing at the standout NW breaks. Conditions won’t be the greatest thanks to increasingly stormy weather and winds out of the S-SE, but like the last couple of storms there will be a few protected spots that will stay surfable.

Long-Range

North Pacific
Still lots of action in the NPAC storm track…we have a decent WNW-NW swell lining up for midweek that will push in another around of overhead surf for the standout breaks as it peaks on Wednesday. Look for this swell to fade out slowly on Thursday and Friday.

Our next round of WNW-NW energy is looking a bit stormy…forecasts are calling for another round of storms to start moving in late Friday and holding through the weekend. As a result we are going to have a mix of short-period W-WNW (260-300) and some longer-period WNW-NW energy (280-300) that will start filling on Saturday (Feb 6) and peaking Sunday/Monday (Feb 7-8)…check out the GFS pressure chart…

And here is how those winds are setting up the new round of swell…

Weather doesn’t look very good for this one…but as a lot of you know…that doesn’t mean every spot is going to be completely trashed. We will have swell in the water…with the mix of W-NW energy likely going overhead at most of the WNW facing spots and sets going a couple of feet overhead at the standout NW breaks. It looks like S winds and rain as the swell peaks on Sunday, how bad the weather will actually be is still a little fuzzy so we will have to see how it shakes out over the next few days.

Further out…look at the very end of the forecast run and check out the red-blob that is forming over by Hawaii.

South Pacific
There has been some playful S-SSW swell showing for the last couple of days…not much more than chest high at the best spots but enough to combo up at the well exposed breaks. This little pulse of energy will fade slowly over the next few days but never really drop completely off. Don’t expect much surf coming off this swell by itself…likely it will be waist high and below at the pure S facing breaks…but it should continue to crease up the WNW energy at the better exposed spots.

Further out the fun little extra-tropical mixing that I saw on the charts last week is continuing to show in the forecast though the weather model is pushing the dates back a couple of days. Much like I expected this mixing is going to help set up a decent little shot of fetch in the next couple of days that will push some new SW swell (190-215) our direction…

If it can live up to this forecast it looks like we would start to see an increase in SW energy around Feb 11-12 (this is coming out of the precursor to the actual storm so it won’t be very big)…and then the actual peak of this new energy hitting more on Feb 13-15 (Valentines combo swell anyone…ah you shouldn’t have).

Next Long-range forecast will be posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010.

Adam Wright
Surf Forecaster
http://www.socalsurf.com/

- - - - - - - -

Wow, if that wasn't enough, here is ANOTHER email he sent at 8:25pm. Check it out.

Tuesday will be a surf day…though it will still pay off to work around the high tide peak.

Tuesday will be a bit of transition day…the WNW-NW swell from the weekend will continue to drop off but another round of WNW-NW energy (280-300) will begin filling in as we move throughout the day. This new swell will be showing some new lines for exposed spots in Santa Barbara and Ventura during the morning…while spots further south will have mostly leftovers. By the afternoon the better WNW-NW breaks should be seeing at least a little more consistency.

Look for most average WNW facing breaks to see waist-chest high surf…standout NW breaks will be closer to shoulder high though the early morning. Things slow down again with the AM high tide but as the tide drops we should see more consistency and some bigger surf as the new WNW-NW’er fills in. I expect that the really exposed spots, mostly in Ventura, will have some head high+ sets showing before sunset…but don’t expect quite that much energy further south…the swell will fill in more after dark and will eventually peak on Wednesday.

Winds look good for the morning…mostly light and variable to light ESE. Winds shift more S-SW onshore around 10-12 knots for the afternoon. Chance of light showers developing overnight into Wednesday.

Now that the tide is shifting a little further back in the day I think we will have a bit more of a surf window in the morning…it will still swamp out pretty fast but there should be more to work with than the last couple of days. Unfortunately the surf is going to be a little weak in most areas early on, mostly because it will be just leftover WNW swell and weak S-SSW swell in the water, but if you bring the right gear you should still be able to have some fun. It looks like the wind may get to it by the afternoon but with the new swell filling in and the lower afternoon tide I still think it will warrant at least a quick surf-cam check late in the day.

Make sure to check the regional forecasts to see how the swell mix affects the different stretches of coastline.

Regional/County Forecasts

Santa Barbara Surf Forecast
Ventura County Surf Forecast
Los Angeles County Surf Forecast
Orange County Surf Forecast
San Diego Surf Forecast

Here are the tides…

02/02/2010 Tuesday
05:09AM LST 0.8 L
10:56AM LST 4.8 H
05:25PM LST -0.1 L
11:47PM LST 5.0 H

--
Posted By Adam Wright to Socalsurf.com - Southern California Surf Forecast at 2/01/2010 08:19:00 PM

The San Diego Salad - Healthy and Sweet!

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:54:16 PST

Check out my creation. It's yummy! I call it the San Diego Salad and you can make it like I do or try several variations. Here's the recipe.

Salad (I'm using a dark, organic mix)
Shredded cheese
Peanuts
Pretzels
Roma tomatoes
Lime juice
Salt
Pepper
Tabasco (optional)

This is how I prepare it. I rinse the salad, squeeze out the excess water and put it on a plate. Next, I cut one Roma tomato into small, bite-sized pieces and I add it to the salad. Grate some cheese or grab some pre-made shredded cheese and put a handful on your salad. Crush several pretzels and sprinkle them over your salad. Squirt some lime juice on it, then shake some salt and pepper over it. If you want some heat, add some Tabasco (a little is great, but too much makes it way too hot)! If you wanted heat without added flavor, try dried red pepper flakes.

Each ingredient in this salad is in it for a reason. The peanuts provide protein and some good fat calories. The lime activates the dish and brings out the flavors. The pretzels provide some crunch and they're much healthier and lower in calories than croutons. The cheese adds texture, some more protein and a little fat while the tomatoes add some more vitamins and fiber to the already nutrient rich, dark salad leaves.

There are approximately 50 calories in the cheese, 75 for the peanuts, 60 in the pretzels and about 30 in the vegetables. This means the whole salad is about 215 calories.

That's the way I usually make the San Diego Salad. It can also be created with some variations by:

Adding chicken (protein)
Adding some sliced ham or turkey (after dicing it)
Adding strawberries and/or blueberries (vitamins, antioxidants and some fiber)
Tossing some sliced or diced mushrooms on it
Trying croutons instead of pretzels (although they are higher in fat)
Trying almonds instead of peanuts (protein)
Trying it without cheese (fewer calories)
Trying it with some salad dressing

Enjoy the San Diego Salad and if you have a variation to suggest, please do!

My Saturday and Sunday - Big waves and soccer!

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:49:45 PST

January 31, 2010 – I won my indoor soccer game today! I started and played defense most of the game and we won 3-0. We picked up a Brazilian kid named Breno who had found me on my web site earlier in the week. It worked out perfectly because we were missing Mike Sorenson and Steve Bowlin. Plus, we were missing our goalie, again. Breno tossed a shutout and it was tight.

I got a save! Breno was flying around the goal and dove to save a shot. Suddenly, it was just there player and me running across and I saved it and kicked it out. Whew!

The team we played didn’t have a great record. They were 1-2 and now they’re 1-3. We’re 2-3 and tied for 4th place with the team we’re playing next week. Should be good! We’ll lose David Gonzalez, but we’ll get back Mike and Steve.

After my game, I went to Sunset Cliffs to catch waves. The time flew pretty quickly and my 2 hour session went swimmingly. I caught lots of huge rights and lefts. I entered the water through the long, windy ladder. It was really low tide and became a -1.5 low tide at 4pm. Some of the waves were so big they were breaking in the channel! They were approximately 6-8 ft., occ. 9-12 ft., very occ. 13-14 ft. I had one really bad fall where I was riding a wave and my board fell out of my hands! My board and I were essentially scooting along bodysurfing until it really broke, dumped me and threw me way under. I think I did a somersault underwater, again.

There were three girls in the water with surfboards. There were also several clusters of guys. At first, I caught waves at the far, left break. There were some juicy lefts and some lengthy rides. I flipped some 360s and took a long one into the channel where I paddled back out and tried the right break. It was going off even more! It was almost as huge as it was about 2 weeks ago!

When I first approached this new group, I picked off a few rights that people couldn’t or didn’t catch. Eventually, I realized this group was a little competitive and I needed to be the furthest back and from the wave to get the right of way, so I paddled over there, obtained it and took a giant wave. When I returned, I talked to a few of them – just small talk, really. One of the girls said she saw me take a gnarly wave! That was cool and I had seen her take one as well, so I gave her props.

On one left, a surfer dropped in on me, but I took the wave the same direction anyway. I wasn’t able to cut around or enjoy it like I would have if he wouldn’t have been there. Eventually, he looked right and saw me there and got off the wave. I don’t think he ever looked over his shoulder.

This was a pretty epic session. I was pretty tired and I had gotten a little banged up in the soccer game (e.g. my left knee and my left big toe) and my knee was barking a little in the water. I didn’t feel the toe until I got out of the water. Last week and this week, I was kicked in the same toe! Ouch. So, if I hadn’t have been banged up, I probably would have spent another 30-45 minutes in the water, but I caught waves for 2 hours and that was sufficient for today.

There was one lone bird sitting in the water. He looked a little like a duck.

The water quality looked excellent. For whatever reason, the two places on my skin that were irritated after yesterday’s session were irritated again today. Not sure why, though.

The surf report said these waves were 6-8 feet. Haha. I hope it keeps saying that because it probably makes the place less crowded. When a surfer drops in on a wave and I’m measuring with my eyes, I can stack another surfer on top of him on the biggest waves. I can even add a foot or two on the very biggest waves! Therefore, it wasn’t 6-8 feet. Let’s just call it 3-4 and be done with it. ; )

January 2010 Surf Total: 18 hours, 15 minutes
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 15 hours, 45 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 34 hours

January 30, 2010 – This was a great session! Part of the reason why it was great was because it was my first time back in the water in awhile. I think it had been 12 days! It was also excellent because the waves were big and I was able to catch some good ones and do some flips and get tubed. Yeeeee.

I starting catching waves around 4:30pm and got out of the water at 5:45pm. The sunset was amazing because there were all these little clouds everywhere and lots of colors. It set at 5:18pm. Woohoo! The sun is setting later!

Since my past few sessions were at reef breaks and not beach breaks like today’s session, I think I was a tiny bit spoiled and/or ill prepared. Heh. I missed how I could paddle out virtually uninterrupted, if I paddled out in the right spot at the cliffs. With beach breaks, it’s not the same (especially the one I frequent at Diamond St. in Pacific Beach). Beach breaks just break straight across unless you have a killer sandbar underneath… and I think ours was pretty much destroyed by the recent storm. So, it tends to wall up and you have to hunt for the corners. It also makes it much harder to get out! I had to paddle my arse off a number of times, but it was all good. I ended up catching 5-6 excellent waves and 3-4 weak ones that puttered out. I flipped a 180 Shooter and that was gnarly. I dropped in a 7’ wave right before it closed out and flipped a 720 at the same time. No crazy horrible falls or anything. The rip currents were an issue, but not horribly bad.

The water quality was ok. There was a little extra foam at times and a tiny bit of it was off-colored. Hmmm. It also just looked a little murky, probably from the seaweed and crap. For whatever reason, I had a couple of skin irritations from the water – one on the tip of my nose and one above my left eye. I’m not sure what the deal was, but I suppose I could have had some very small cuts or something that the crappy water irritated.

Hopefully, this swell will hold through Sunday! I’m hitting the cliffs for an epic session at low tide!

January 2010 Surf Total: 16 hours, 15 minutes
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Grand Total: 31 hours, 15 minutes

Diet, Exercise and Pollution... the Last 10 Days

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:34:29 PST

Dear Diary (start at the bottom),

*****************

January 27, 2010 – Last night, I measured my body and took some pictures. This is for the “before” section of my upcoming book called “The Math Diet.” I’m stoked that I’ve found an objective, easy and sensible way to lose weight. It worked before and it’s working again because I’ve already lost 9 pounds in 4 weeks.
Bicep: 12.5 unflexed, 14 flexed
Thigh: 22
Waist: 34 (then how do I wear size 30 jeans? Hmmm.)
Chest: 39
Calf: 13.5
When I get to my goal weight (I’m 164 now), which is first 150 and then 140ish, I’ll re-measure, snap some pics and validate my method and book. Hip hip. Hooray.
I’m tempted to count my 90 minute jam session tonight as exercise, but I won’t…
Oh yeah, I didn’t trust the water today. I hate the fact that I cannot find a saltwater bacterial test kit anywhere. I’m giving it some extra time to get cleaned up because I don’t want to get sick. Perhaps I should talk to the lifeguards before I get in. That may be the key to getting readings… or at least a lead on a test kit.

January 26, 2010 – I rode the exercise bike for 45 minutes because when I went to the beach it smelled really bad. There was also a gigantic amount of seaweed both on the beach and in the water. It looked and smelled pretty crappy and I hope it cleans up soon. It rained about .1 inches today.
January 2010 Surf Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 14 hours
January 2010 Grand Total: 29 hours

January 25, 2010 – I rested today because the water was still funky. Tonight is 72 hours since the last rainy day over .2 inches. Therefore, it shouldn’t be cleaned up until at least tomorrow. However, since such a large amount of rain came down and washed into the ocean, it could potentially stay polluted an extra day or two.
I visited the beach and it smelled funny. Part of the reason why is because there was a HUGE amount of seaweed on the beach. The other reason is likely because of the pollution. This makes 8 total days of pollution this month from this storm week.

January 24, 2010 – I played an indoor soccer game and we lost 7-6. The ocean was polluted because of rain runoff.
January 2010 Surf Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 13 hours, 15 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 28 hours, 15 minutes

January 23, 2010 – We rode our bikes from PB to Chuck E. Cheese’s and back. The entire ride took about 90 minutes. The ocean was polluted because of rain runoff.
January 2010 Surf Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 12 hours, 30 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 27 hours, 30 minutes

January 22, 2010 – I took the day off, but I did dance at the Sheryl Crow concert for about 30 minutes. The ocean was polluted because of rain runoff.
January 2010 Surf Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 11 hours
January 2010 Grand Total: 26 hours

January 21, 2010 – The water was polluted and it rained nearly an inch today, so I rode the exercise bike at the gym for 45 minutes and did abs for 15 minutes.
January 2010 Surf Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 10 hours, 30 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 25 hours, 30 minutes

January 20, 2010 – It rained .5 inches today by the coast. This is the third day in a row of rain and runoff pollution… so I rode the exercise bike at the gym for an hour. I also got a really good stretch in.
January 2010 Surf Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 9 hours, 30 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 24 hours, 30 minutes

January 19, 2010 – 1.5 inches of rain yesterday (1-18-2010) polluted the ocean water. Plus, it rained another .75 inches today, so I went to the gym and rode the exercise bike for 45 minutes.
January 2010 Surf Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 8 hours, 30 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 23 hours, 30 minutes

January 18, 2010 – Today the rain started coming down and we got over an inch, polluting the oceans.
Musings about my fat loss…
I’ve lost approximately 8 pounds since I started my diet about 22 days ago. After the initial giant drop, it evened out a bit. Looking at my calories totals for the past 22 days, I see that I kept them relatively low. I’ll estimate I ate about 2000 calories a day on average and I burned an average of 800 extra calories a day. This translates into 5600 calories (or roughly a pound and a half of fat loss) per week.

I should warn you. I have a weird diary.

Dear Diary,

Yeah, right here.

San Diego Doppler Pics - Storm Week - January 18, 2010 - January 22, 2010

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:44:35 PST

These are doppler pictures from the week of rain that
hit San Diego and the rest of the West Coast. They were taken between January
18, 2010 and January 22, 2010. The time is on each iPhone Weatherbug screen
shot. Check out the HUGE systems that rolled over us and give us over 4 inches
of rain at the beach and tons more in the mountains.

There are two red pins, then three red pins. The bottom
left pin is San Diego. The bottom right pin is El Cajon and the top pin is
Riverside.

Check out the storm on Thursday between the 10:11am and
11:26am pics. The storm system really unified and intensified!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Friday, January 22, 2010

Sheryl Crow - Concert and Band Review - Riverside, CA - 1-22-2010

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:21:20 PST

Wow and Awww! Two words that kept entering my head during Sheryl Crow’s concert. Last night, I was blown away from my 4th row seat at the Fox Theater in Riverside, California and this is my story.

Since I really cared about music, it has taken a lot to impress me, musically. I often get bored when there is one guy with a guitar. I believe the bass, drums, guitar(s) and vocalist(s) should be going off. If they have keys, it’s usually all the better. That’s the reason why Led Zeppelin was so great. All four guys were extremely talented and they only held back briefly for emphasis. Sheryl Crow’s band was born out of the same vein as Led Zeppelin.

So, it’s Sunday now and I’m sitting at the foot of the church of Sheryl Crow. I barely recall getting into her while I was in college around 1993 and 1994. My roommate Chris Clayton didn’t decry her talents as we meticulously scrutinized the volumes of music we ingested. In fact, he tipped his hat to her. She has an awesome voice and a fantastic band. What else could we want?

I wish I remembered more of Woodstock ’94 (don’t laugh… ok, go ahead and laugh). That was a pretty amazing experience. I remember hearing Aerosmith and Peter Gabriel (ask me for deets and maybe I’ll tell you), but I have trouble recalling Green Day, Metallica and Sheryl Crow. Hmmm. lol

Consequently, this was essentially my first Sheryl Crow concert. I drove from San Diego to Riverside in rain and cold. It was in the Fox Theater – which, uggggg. Those people really pissed me off. I got there at a great time to catch 1.5 songs by the opening act and then Sheryl. So, I went to the bar and bought a Bud Light on draught and a long island iced tea. I was stoked and started to roll to my seat and when the door attendant saw my drinks, she said I had to finish them in the lobby! I said, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” and she assured me she wasn’t. Therefore, I took a seat and made sure she wasn’t singling me out and yup, everybody was turned back. So, I had to slam a long island iced tea and a Bud Light. Frick! You gotta sip a long island iced tea… anyhow, that was lame. They could have at least had a sign somewhere warning us at the bar. It was like entrapment! Later in the show, I ran up, hit the bathroom and had to chug another Bud Light before running back in. Some dude said he should have brought a flask and I obliged.

I had a 4th row seat in the middle section of the show. I was super close and the bassist was on my side with Sheryl in the middle (duh). I was impressed with her vocals and her ability to alternate playing the bass guitar, electric guitar and acoustic guitar while singing on every song! She’s a very talented musician! She also reminded me that music is about feelings, but more on that later.

My Favorite Mistake is one of my favorite songs. The intro guitar lick is grabbing and her cooing brings us to the poetry very nicely. Sheryl sings about stuff – which is cool. I hear beautiful stories (and sad stories) about things she has encountered. I like her tidbits of wisdom along with her sincerity, transparency and emotion. I had always chuckled inside at the song My Favorite Mistake and I could tell at the show that it was a serious song to her, so the song is a little different to me now.

The concert was so good that I’ve been listening to most of her catalog since. My iPod has 112 Sheryl Crow songs and I’ve found there are a number of other great songs. I like how they tend to feature different instruments in different songs. The off-the-hook bass line you’ll be humming in your sleep opens Leaving Las Vegas. The super catchy, gotta pick up my guitar and find the intro/main hook in Soak Up the Sun is sweet. And anyone who has the guts to “Tell everyone to lighten up” puts a smile on my face!

Before the show, I don’t think I ever heard Love is Free. Wow, that capoed acoustic guitar riff (the bassist played in concert) is really cool… and I’m gonna have to find it now. Hope it doesn’t delay this paper too long. I’ll put the link to the YouTube video right here when I get back…

“All I wanna do is have some fun!” Yes! Tell me about it. And she does. All with some sweet glass (or is it sweet ass?), slide guitar and a bouncy bass line.

During the show, there was a song where Sheryl Crow, guitarist Steve Stroud and their bassist played the same style Fender electric guitar! I can’t remember the name of that song because I think it was one I was unfamiliar with. I did think it was in interesting idea, though… and I’m of course partial to Fender because I own an American Fender Strat that only keeps sounding better and better.

And I stand corrected. I had thought some lyrics from Every Day is a Windy Road were likely about Lance Armstrong, but they couldn’t have been because the song was written years before their 2003-2006 relationship (which included an engagement). I thought several lyrics in that song, including “he was high on intellectualism” and “he has a daughter named Easter… she was born on a Tuesday night” were references to Lance Armstrong having his head up his ass (he’s an atheist). But, as I said, I stand corrected.

Although she played most of my favorites, there were a couple of other songs I wanted to hear like Steve McQueen. Plus, I’ve always liked her cover of Led Zeppelin’s Dy’er Maker. It’s on the Encomium album (which I purchased shortly after it was released) and it rocks. “Oh, oh, oh oh... oh oh oh, you don’t have to go-o” from Sheryl Crow might be cooler than hearing Robert Plant sing it. She did play a Cars cover (I was unfamiliar with the song) and a cool Red Hot Chili Peppers song called Higher Ground. Nice choice and the bass guitar went off as expected.

I was surprised to see so many people in their 40’s and 50’s at this show. It was a different demographic than what I had been used to. The shock was a little like the way I felt when I examined the crowd at The Beach Boys concert last year or when the current blew me and my board from my break at Diamond St. two miles north to the strange Tourmaline surfer contingency for the first time. Anyhow, no problems here and I got into a couple of conversations with the nice folks. Cougar Town!

I was flanked by cougars on all sides of me. The one on my left talked to me a bit and she was nice. We cracked up when the security guards made people avoid standing in the front of the show. You had to be there, but try to picture it. This smiley couple in their late 40’s or early 50’s runs down there and starts dancing, then this lumbering security guy dressed in a suit with a stoney look on his face kindly asks them to leave… over and over. It eventually reminded me of high school (e.g. the principal eyeballing everyone and stomping out the fun, immediately) because it was something kids would do. Pretty funny, but like I said, you had to be there.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been overly impressed with the drums in Sheryl’s band. That is the only instrument that seems to be holding back. However, Sheryl Crow does have a country flavor in some of her songs and country music generally has very simple drum beats. You don’t hear double bass or a lot of cymbals or lots of rolls. Even so, by occasionally using congas and varying drum patterns they produce a number of cool drum sounds in great meter and timing.

If I had to describe Sheryl Crow’s music, it wouldn’t be easy. I’ve been thinking about it and there are country, blues and rock elements. There aren’t too many musicians like her around and I’d prefer her music over the others like her. Although they are more religious, Jennifer Knapp and Carolyn Arrends’ music reminds me of hers. I’m hard-pressed to find other female artists with her sound range and abilities.

While the music is off-the-hook, the lyrics and melodies are sweet, too. It’s also cool to hear stories from a female perspective. I never know what women are thinking or what’s even going on half the time. Maybe if I had a sister, but I digress. It’s nice to hear some stuff this girl is thinking about, feeling and going through. When I hear, “I’m leaving Las Vegas for good,” I hear pain, but I know she’s been back. When she sings, “Are you strong enough to be my man?”, I think probably not. And when she says, “God, I feel like hell today” or “I can’t cry any more” I’m intrigued and want to know why.

After some cheering, Sheryl and the band came back for an encore. It was well received and after a few more songs, they were finished. It was an excellent show and well worth the price of admission. Oh yeah, I made $200 by selling my Chargers vs. Jets playoff football tickets and used that money for this concert (after the ticket, gas and drinks, it was equal). Even if the Chargers would have won (and they didn’t, they lost 17-14!), I would have preferred seeing Sheryl Crow because she is an awesome musician with a fantastic band.

“It’s not having what you want. It’s wanting what you’ve got.”

Concerns About Nate Kaeding's Kicking - 9-27-09 Conversation w/ Derek Togerson

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:57:10 PST

Check out this conversation I had with Derek Togerson (he does the Q/A on the internet during Jim Laslovic’s Sports show on NBC) in Sept./Oct. I wrote him on Sept. 27, so it was the night after the Dolphins vs. Chargers game where Kaeding missed a 41 yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first half (keeping the score knotted at 3-3).

From: Jason Gastrich [mailto:....@sdmusiclessons.com]
Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 8:33 AM
To: 'Togerson, Derek (NBC Universal, KNSD)'
Subject: RE: Kicking

Well, like my aunt (who is a big Dolphins fan and was texting me back and forth during the game, heh) in North Carolina likes to say, “Even a blind squirrel gets a nut sometimes.” ; )

Kaeding just seems a bit erratic. He’ll miss a chip shot or a game winner here and there and I don’t know if we can afford it. His kickoffs actually look a little better than they used to and I think we have a good coverage team to help him. I just wish he was a little more consistent and even though he booted a 57 yarder, I don’t think Norv has the confidence in him to do it on a regular basis.

No problem on the late reply. Thanks and talk to you again soon! : )

Sincerely,
Jason Gastrich

San Diego Music Lessons
"Are you ready to play?"

From: Togerson, Derek (NBC Universal, KNSD) [mailto:derek.togerson@nbcuni.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 8:41 PM
To: Jason Gastrich
Subject: RE: Kicking

Well Jason, nobody currently in the NFL has kicked a field goal longer than Nate's 57-yarder, so his leg strength is not a big question mark. He's gone to a Pro Bowl. Sure, maybe his kickoffs aren't boomers, but nobody has taken a kick back against them in quite a while. So, I have to respectfully disagree with you on this one!

Sorry for the delay on the response. Thanks for watching!

Derek Togerson
NBC 7/39
(619) 578-0215

________________________________________
From: Jason Gastrich [mailto:....@sdmusiclessons.com]
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2009 10:49 PM
To: @NBC Uni KNSD Football Night
Subject: Kicking
We need a kicker who can kick a 57 (and a 41) yard field goal and kickoff the ball through the end zone. Don’t the Chargers realize how important this position is? The Raiders did when they spent a first round pick on Janikowski and he has been fantastic for about a decade. Why can’t we have a great kicker in San Diego?

Sincerely,
Jason Gastrich

San Diego Music Lessons
"Are you ready to play?"

The Purple Cobras Win!!

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:08:11 PST

January 17, 2010 – I didn’t catch any waves today (unfortunately), but I did play an indoor soccer game. My team won 2-1 and it was a really exciting game. I was racing to get there, so I had a minute to run around and warm up, but no time to stretch. It wasn’t a big deal, but I would have been more limber if I would have stretched. Perhaps that’s why my shots were a bit weak today… but I digress.

Mike Sorenson scored the first goal of the game. I bounced it off the wall and around one player, then when the next player left Mike and took me on, I put it through her legs. Mike ran onto it and had a 1 on 1 with the keeper and he scored. It was sweet.

I started on defense and ended up playing a little middle and up. Our defense and the goalie, in particular really shut down the other team. Instead of being ahead in the first half and losing in the second half, like we did the first two games, we brought a 1-1 tie into the half and ended up winning by a goal.

With about 6.5 minutes to go in the game, we were winning 2-1 off Steve Bowlin’s goal and their team got the ball and it was a quick breakaway. One of the better players was trying to settle it while he dribbled toward the goalie. For some reason, there was no defense back, so I ran as fast as I could to catch him. When I got to him, the ball was on his left and I slid the ball before he kicked it, but I also took out his legs. It wasn’t in the box, but it was close. Still, the ref called a PK! He was either mistaken or the indoor rule is based on the 1/3 line and not the box (I should find that out… this place has several funky rules). Our goalie, stud that he is, saved the PK! Wow, I felt relieved. I had to wait out a 2 minute penalty, though. Ug. I think that’s my 3rd one in 3 games. Let’s see… this is what I’ve done so far:

Game 1: 1 goal, 2 assists, 2 min. penalty for slide tackling
Game 2: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 min. penalty for dissent
Game 3: 1 assist, 2 min. penalty for slide tackling

Never a dull moment out there! Here is our league's stats and standings page. Can't wait to log a shutout! Let’s hope we can keep this little win streak alive and win again next Sunday! I accidentally packed my Vans instead of my Diadoras, so I had a slightly different experience on the floor. It really wasn't too bad and pretty much like my other shoes! The Vans could be a little bit heavier.

I’ve gotten a few rug burns on my knees this season, but nothing too serious. The girl who ran into me last week and cut my lip open with her forehead was probably the worst so far. It made me bleed, but just barely because it was a small cut. I still can’t believe the referee didn’t call her for a penalty. Since when could players just start running around head butting people? But, I digress, again. The only injury I sustained today was while I was slide tackling the would-be-scorer, I put my left arm down to brace my fall and it hyper-extended a bit. I was wondering if I could paddle on it or not… I’m icing it now.

It is supposed to rain cats and dogs, plus rats, snakes and maybe giraffes. No really, they’re saying 6”+ at the coast and 16-25” in the mountains. Insanity. San Diego normally gets that much rain in like a year or two. Needless to say, bacteria from rain runoff will inevitably pollute the seas, keeping me out for 72 hours. There is always a chance the storm could miss San Diego – as they often do. However, by the way Adam Wright is talking (surf forecaster), it doesn’t look good. We might just float away.

January 2010 Surf Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 7 hours, 45 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 22 hours, 45 minutes

The Last of the Giant Swell @ Sunset Cliffs

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:48:57 PST

January 15, 2010 – First, I recorded an audio file to describe yesterday’s session. I also took some videos. Here are the links to those things:
Jan. 14 surf wrap up (The surf hit 18’ that day and I had a killer 2 hour session at Sunset Cliffs!)

12’ Right and 900 @ Sunset Cliffs
12’ Left and 360 @ Sunset Cliffs
Sunset Cliffs & 18’ Waves: The Long Paddle Back Out Through the Washing Machine

Since I talk about yesterday’s session on the audio file, I’ll just mention today’s session here. The size had decreased a little, but there were still some 12-14’+ sets out there today. The waves weren’t breaking in the channel as much, so that was good. I decided to catch waves at Sunset Cliffs, toward the end where the stairs are located. Here’s what happened.

I got to the cliffs just after 4pm and I was in the water by 4:15. It was super low tide at about -.9 around the time I entered. Lots of rocks were exposed and I had to be careful to get out. With waves coming, it made walking through and over large coral rocks more difficult, but I was out before too long. This time, instead of paddling out and to the waves breaking on the right, I decided to catch the ones on the left. Yesterday, they looked great and possibly even bigger than the ones on the right. However, I didn’t catch any of them because I thought it was too far for my cameraman and because it was about 75 yards away from where I was catching great waves anyway.

Instead of just sitting near the channel and taking the left, I went down more and caught the other right. It’s awesome how consistent these coral rock breaks are! It’s also great how they keep breaking in those places and not others, so you can more easily paddle out to them. It’s a very different thing than the beach break I’ve been used to. If the cliffs were closer to my home, I’d probably go there every day (and adopt OB as my beach break), but as it stands, I’ll probably return to mostly PB sessions when the giant surf wanes. It’s so close! I need to investigate PB Point some time because it might offer similar conditions to the cliffs.

I caught some really nice, long waves today. The long right was really poppin’ and with the size still up, it made it extra exciting. I was flipping all kinds of spins and I got tubed. One time, when I was screaming down a 10-11’ right, I cut right in between two surfers who were paddling out. Heh.

I spent 75 minutes in the water today. Only darkness chased me at 5:30pm. The sunset was 5:05pm (and I was wrong a few days ago when I said 4:30pm… I hadn’t realized the sunset was getting later again). I’d say last light is probably 5:45pm now. I didn’t want to contend with rocks and coral in the dark, so I made sure to exit while I could still see a little.

There were some pretty good surfers out there today and all of them seemed friendly. I talked to a couple in passing. One who was paddling out while I was shredding it up on a meaty right gave me a goofy smile. Haha. I think I do the same thing when I’m watching someone shred.

The past two days (but not today) I saw a fish jump out of the water near me. The first one was about 10-12 inches long and the second one was only 3-4 inches. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign, a bad sign or no sign at all. I suppose it means the water isn’t grossly polluted because there is other life here. I’d still really like to buy a saltwater bacterial test kit one day, so I can really know the facts about the water I expose myself to all the time. At the very least, if I could identify any harmful things in it, I could take some precautions. Plus, a day or two after it rains, I could check to see if it was safe to return. You’d be surprised to know how hard these are to find. I’ve called fish stores all over the county and they don’t have one. I’ve also called surf shops and I’ve emailed Surfline and Adam Wright. Nothing. Nada. It’s almost a government conspiracy. Heh.

So, it was an awesome session of big waves, again. It wasn’t “poop your pants big”, but it was very large nonetheless. Plus, since I had been out there a number of times previously, I was starting to understand how to read and catch these waves better. Those things made for a better session. I also spent very little time in the crazy washing machine, so that was very good.

Before my session, I had visited Clairemont Surf Shop because I wanted them to take a look at my board. I had repaired the bottom of it after a surfer speared me last year (see here around March maybe for the story). They pointed out some water trapped under the plastic bottom and they were right, so I bought some board goo to repair it after my session. After cutting it open, I noticed there were several ounces of water trapped inside. I sealed it and it’s resting now, so it will be ready to ride soon.

There was a dude out there bodysurfing these giant waves. I thought that was pretty funny. There was also an old dude who I swear it looked like he was bodysurfing a wave while his board was taking it with him. Unless I was seeing things, that’s what happened.

I’ve been trying a different method to paddle because I think it’s a bit faster. I’m using my arms to paddle while using my legs and now I’m also thrusting me legs in and out as I kick. I still need to get in a pool and time each technique to see which ones are the fastest. Until I do, I’ve started something new that’s working, but it’s also engaging and fatiguing some other muscles. Now, my calves, butt and within my lower back/core are sore. I had to do some very different stretches to try to stretch these newly sore places. On the flip side, I’m sure those muscles need to be strengthened and are likely small and weak, so I’m glad I’m finally using them.

I saw one of my friends surfing here today. I don’t know his real name, but I call him Lefty because he loves taking lefts at Diamond St. in PB. We chatted it up a bit and caught a bunch of waves. Very cool to see someone I know, especially at this new break… which reminds me.

I had to think long and hard before leaving my home break for this one. I’d estimate 95% of last year’s 295 hours in the water were spent in Pacific Beach. Usually, I like these breaks because they’re good and they’re close. However, when it starts getting bigger, I start looking elsewhere. Why? Well, I like shooting the pier in OB. I feel I have a connection to that whole place and it’s good. Sort of my adopted break.

They’re saying some very large scale surf is headed our way, again. In fact, they’re saying this surf may be even larger than the last swell! However, it might be accompanied with rain and even waterspouts! So, it may be unsurfable. As always, I’ll hope to catch waves right up until it starts raining. We’ll have to see how big it will get! There is a 70% chance of rain in San Diego for Monday, but that can mean sprinkles or even no precipitation at all.

I rested today and rode 45 minutes on the gym’s exercise bike. Tomorrow, the surf is supposed to pick up by a foot or two, so I’ll likely check it out. I also have a soccer game. GO CHARGERS!

January 2010 Surf Total: 15 hours
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 7 hours
January 2010 Grand Total: 22 hours

15' Waves at Sunset Cliffs

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:29:20 PST

January 13, 2010 – Another swell came in today and it was very big, again. If I hadn’t just caught slightly bigger waves on Sunday, I would be ranting and raving about how huge these waves were. However, the surf report was saying 24 ft. (and TV news stations have been warning us about 15-20 ft. waves), but the biggest ones out there were 14-15’. Not like that is small or anything. But the swell is supposed to peak tomorrow, so it could build several feet before I hit the water tomorrow. Well, that’s what I’m hoping, anyway.

I had some really exciting rides in my hour long battle today. I’ll tell you about my top two rides. First, I decided to try a different spot at Sunset Cliffs. Instead of stopping near the middle, I kept going to nearly the end. There were a number of people there (many had very expensive looking cameras) and I counted around 20 surfers in the water. There were 2 main breaks on either side of a channel there. The best thing about this break is probably the stairs because they made it much easier to get in and out of the water. There was no struggle whatsoever. And if you read about my past two sessions, you’ll know how sweet that is.

These waves were big and heavy. Lots of water, but some of them rolled a bit before breaking. As soon as I paddled out, I caught my best wave of the day. After I paddled about 200 yards through the channel, I turned right and paddled to directly behind the clump of surfers. A wave came just seconds afterwards and I took it right. It was a nice, long ride and I flipped four 360 spins on it! Haha. It was nutty. Great ride and then I did the Helter Skelter thing again.

My very next wave was my 2nd best of the day. We actually got a pretty cool video of it. See here. I caught a meaty right and I flipped a 360 spin. Well, while I was spinning my board somehow got stuck after 180 degrees! So, I just continued the spin on my own and rode the board backwards. I wanted to cut back left, but couldn’t quite pull it off. This wave only looks about 6 or 7 feet big on video, but it seemed much bigger when I was dropping in.

After a few good rides, my good fortunate took a turn for the worse. I became a little too choosy and missed a couple waves I didn’t like or couldn’t quite catch. Before too long, I was pushed back a bit by the swell and the waves started breaking in front of me. Man, it was a lot of water to crash so close to me!

During the first few waves I had to duck dive, I noticed the wave pushed me back extra far, pushed me around under the water and was just all around unfriendly. It bothered me a bit and at first, but I got somewhat used to it. One time, I didn’t duck dive just right and the huge wave made me regret it. Also, I ditched my board once and felt the stinkin’ wave toss me around underwater without it and I figured I should avoid that maneuver. Except once, a giant wave was about to break in front of me and I decided to ditch my board and swim really deep under it and I came up unscathed.

When I decided to leave, I simply paddled the 200 yards back in. It would have been sweet to catch one more, great wave in, but I’ve found that rarely happens unless you want to wait a long time to make it happen. Some whitewash helped push me along a bit and I quickly came upon the rocks I came in on. It was a little tricky, but the water wasn’t surging much, so I carefully navigated around some rocks, then I stood up and walked up the rocks to a flat spot where I could stand. Aww, no cuts and no drama. Gotta love it.

This was a really good session. Tons of fun and I caught some exciting waves. I hope tomorrow’s surf is even better! I also hope I can do a double session or at least stay in for 90 minutes. I’m planning to hit the cliffs around 11:30am tomorrow.

On Monday, I rode the exercise bike for an hour and I rested and got a massage yesterday. The updated hours are reflected below.

January 2010 Surf Total: 11 hours, 45 minutes
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 6 hours, 15 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 18 hours

16'+ at Sunset Cliffs - What an Epic Session

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:36:44 PST

January 10, 2010 – After a disappointing soccer game (even though I scored another goal), I limped over to Sunset Cliffs. It was about 3:30pm and I wanted to catch waves for 90 minutes, from 4-5:30pm and I did. Here’s what happened.

When I got to the cliffs, I found a good parking spot on the street. I could see the waves very well and they actually looked a little small. I didn’t see any outside waves breaking – only inside ones. However, after I got out of my car and looked a little closer, I noticed they were breaking outside and they were very large. It’s really hard to say exactly how big they were, but my best estimate is 5-8 ft., occ. 9-15 ft., very occ. 16+ ft. The surf report for Sunset Cliffs said 13-18 ft., but I don’t know if it ever really reached 18 ft., but it certainly may have.

My session started out a little slow. After getting into the water and paddling through the channel, I turned right and looked for that big, groovy right that everyone was taking. It was awfully crowded and it seemed that surfers wanted to take virtually every good wave. I could have dropped in on surfers about 3-4 times, but I didn’t. I was eventually considering it though because I wasn’t catching as much as normal and when I passed up on a wave or two, the current would push me out of position and I’d be screwed.

I caught about 8-10 giant waves. About half of them were caught after the sunset and in the final 20-30 minutes of my session. These were like poop your pants big kinda waves. Before I tell you about some of the ticks I pulled off, I should admit I think I had my worst wipeout ever. A giant wave was coming and I was trying to take it right. It must have been 14’ or so and unfortunately, when I tried to drop in, I just dropped down. It was one of those super long falls where a few seconds feel like a few hours. I just fell and fell to the bottom of the huge wave and then the whitewash rolled over me and pushed me deep into the water. Good thing I was deep at a deep water break or I could have hit the coral below me. This wave pushed me around a bit under water and I had to swim and swim for awhile to get to the top. Fortunately, I was swimming in the right direction. One time, I got so twisted around by a giant wave I didn’t know which way up was.

During this crazy wipeout, both of my feet cramped up. I tried hard to relax and not to panic, but I think I tightened my muscles a bit and that probably caused the cramps. They went away after a few seconds (possibly because I quickly stretched them) and they didn’t return.

It was Helter Skelter out there. Seriously. When I got to the bottom, I went back to the top of the slide, where I stopped and I turned and I went for a ride, till I got to the bottom and I saw you again! Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll have to draw a picture to illustrate. Check it out:

On the left, there is a lane or a channel. Normally, it’s a great place to paddle out because waves don’t break in it. However, there were some waves breaking in it yesterday because the surf was so big. Nonetheless, it made getting out much easier than going straight through the whitewash and crashing waves. I’d paddle out through the channel, take the current north, then catch a long right and head for the channel and do it all over again.

I screamed backwards down the face of several of these giant waves. I ate it on a couple of my 360s, but they weren’t bad wipeouts. A couple of times I got caught in the roll zone and got pushed around a bit on my way to the channel.

There was a bit of bump to the waves that turned into texture after sundown. Even though it was a bit dark, I caught some really good waves at that time. Part of the reason why was because almost everyone had left. It was also cleaner. On a couple of really long rights, I cut around all over the place, flipped spins and stopped or kept going. It was great fun and extra special because of the giant waves.

After my last wave, I paddled to the channel and sat on my board. I wanted to know if I was the last one out there and I couldn’t see anyone at all, so I headed in. On my paddle in, I eventually noticed two surfers try to get out of the water.

One of the surfers exited while I was navigating toward the landing point. The sea was rough and it was pretty insane out there. It wasn’t pitch dark, but the sun set around 4:40pm and it was 5:30pm and what I call last light. The amount of darkness wouldn’t have mattered at all though if it weren’t so rough. It’s simply hard to hop onto a coral rock while large waves are crashing on that rock. See my entry from yesterday and you’ll know how heinous this exit can be. I was much more fortunate today. When I finally got very close to the rock, I ditched my board and leaped onto it. The waves were crashing on the rock pretty well, so I couldn’t stick around and help the dude who was trying to paddle to the exit rock. He was stuck in the same area I was yesterday. His buddy told me to get outta there and when I spoke him he said the guy in the water was his friend and that he had done this a hundred times and not to be too worried. The kid talking was a surfer and I think he had a healthy respect for the ocean, so he wasn’t worried, but he certainly wasn’t leaving or playing down the situation. Here is a cut I got on my foot from the coral.

A minute or two after that dude got out of the water, the crowd around us said there was another person in the water. I looked and looked and it was really hard to see someone, but eventually I did. He was near the breaking waves, so I figured he was in a good spot. I figured if he was able to stay in that spot and wait for the right wave, then we probably shouldn’t worry, but we should still keep an eye on him. Well, I eventually passed along this responsibility to the crowd and they called the lifeguard. I saw him get there in his truck before I left, but I don’t know how the story ended.

This was a truly epic session. I hope I have another like it very soon. Another giant swell is supposed to arrive Wednesday, so I’ll probably get my warm up in tomorrow and hit the cliffs on Wednesday and hope for 15 footers! Today I just rode the exercise bike for an hour and stretched a whole lot!

January 2010 Surf Total: 10 hours, 45 minutes
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 6 hours, 15 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 17 hours

2 Epic Sessions - 14' @ Sunset Cliffs

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:08:09 PST

January 9, 2010 – I had two epic sessions today. The first one was in PB where I caught waves for about 75 minutes and they were yuge. There were some great corners and I got tubed several times. Insane cuz the waves were like 2-5 ft., occ. 6-10+ ft. Who knows… there could have been an 11 footer in the mix somewhere. At any rate, I recorded a summary of that session here and you can see a video clip of one wave I caught here.

Around 3:30pm, I rolled down to PB to check out that break. It was extra yuge, but it was wallin’ up big time. I was sorta stricken and walked very slowly down the windy stairs and stood on the foot of the beach sand. Some surfer chatted with me for a minute and I could tell I really shouldn’t be here. I hurried up the stairs and went to Sunset Cliffs.

Oh yeah, before I forget, again. I forgot to mention something on my audio file. During session #1, when my leash broke, I was really far out there. Instead of swimming all the way back, I figured I’d try to bodysurf a giant wave and I did. Man, this thing was huge and it launched me forward in the air like a rocket ship. Really insane.

Back to Sunset Cliffs. It was initially awkward after quickly finding a parking spot because I zipped up my wet suit, grabbed my board and took off without surveying the surf. I had a pretty strong feeling – based on a couple surf reports – that the cliffs would be going off and they were. It was consistently double overheard and it even went a couple feet over that at times. Yup, these were the biggest waves I ever caught at about 14’. Just giant walls of water coming at you. Here’s what happened.

After hopping in the water, I took that comfy channel that just happens to be directly in front of you. After paddling for like 150-200 yards (no joke, it’s a helluva paddle out and I did it again and again today for 90 minutes), I caught some gnarly waves. These were super long rides compared to what I was used to. There was a very consistently large right where I was. The only question was how much of the corner you wanted. You could sit on the end and take short rides or go into the middle and take longer ones.

The surfers there were friendly. I’m not sure why. I think it was because there were no big a-holes out there. When there is an a-hole or two, everyone seems to tense up. So, I chatted it up with a few of them.

Getting out was horribly difficult! It was getting pretty dark, since it was 45 minutes after the sunset and I had to climb up a giant coral rock while the surf was surging and pounding. I didn’t even realize this would be an issue until I tried to exit. Since the waves were so much larger than usual, the swells were really pounding the coral rocks at the base of the cliff.

After struggling to get into the right position (which involved bailing on my board and swimming like crazy), I jumped onto the coral rock and hung on for dear life. Unfortunately, a big wave came and ripped me off the rock. I tried to hang on, but only succeeded in inuring my thumb and thumbnail. I wouldn’t realize it until later, but about 1/3 of my thumbnail must have bent backwards inside my glove. When I took off my gloves, I noticed a good deal of blood under the nail and it hurt.

After the wave knocked me off the coral rock, I was finally able to get back to it. Moments after I put both feet on the rock and stood up, a wave came by and knocked me off, again. Finally, the third time was a charm because I was able to quickly pull myself up and get the heck out of there.

I started getting some cramps in my feet toward the end of my session. They worked themselves out, so they didn’t really hinder me. I suppose they were cramping up from overuse and the cold.

Overall, it was an epic couple of sessions and I can’t wait for tomorrow! It's supposed to peak at around 18' at Sunset Cliffs!

January 2010 Surf Total: 9 hours, 15 minutes
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 4 hours, 45 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 14 hours

Diamond St. - 2-4 ft., occ. 5-9 ft, plus very occ. 10 ft. bombs

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:52:40 PST

January 8, 2010 – This fine day, I rode my beach cruiser to and from the beach. It was a beautiful day and the high was 74 degrees. Can it get any nicer than that? The only thing better would be warm ocean water.

The surf was amazing today. It was usually 2-4 ft., occ. 5-9 ft., but every once in awhile a 10’ bomb would roll through. Most of the largest waves were largely walled, but there were some pick and choose corners and most waves. You kinda had to be in the right place at the right time, though. A few times I was and I had super long, meaty rides. I caught some of those waves you just ride forever. Waves that build, then rebuild again.

Some of the waves were a little soft. A couple rides petered out prematurely. I flipped plenty of 360s and a really exciting 180 Shooter. I was taking this 8’+ wave left and it was closing up, so I spun 180 degrees and the wave tubed me. As it crashed over me, it spit me out and I turned the board the remaining 180 degrees and rode a bit.

I was going off pretty good out there with all kinds of crazy tricks. One a really big, long left, when it was about to close out, I flipped a reverse 720 spin down its face. That was pretty tight. I remember hanging on and hoping I wasn’t going to eat it. I can’t remember eating it today. I know some waves crashed in front of me, but I don’t think I bit it during a trick.

There was a current pulling me north a little, but I was able to stay in front of my bag. I didn’t wear any neoprene socks and my feet were a little cold. My 4/3 wet suit kept me toasty warm, even though the water was around 57 degrees.

Today’s waves were breaking, then rebuilding and breaking again. This made them interesting and it made the inside waves better than usual. Instead of small waves breaking normally, there was a large, building wall of water coming. It was usually steeply angled with some whitewash on top. I caught plenty of big outside waves, but I also spent time on these inside waves because they were fun and easy to catch.

On one wave 8-9’ wave, I was taking it left and it was about to close up. I stuck my left leg in the water a little, so I’d be propelled forward and I’d stay close to the wave. Otherwise, I would have been shot out in front of the wave. So, I hugged this wave and it tubed me big time.

This swell is going to peak Saturday, but might hold into Sunday. Either way, the next 2-3 days are going to be epic. Clean conditions, huge waves. Tomorrow, I’m expecting to find 10-12’ waves. As these waves get larger, it’s going to be increasingly more difficult to find corners at my usual break. The sandbar bottom is great for waves up to 10’, but when it gets bigger than that it seems to constantly wall up. There are several problems with walled up waves. First, you can’t take it left or right if it just walls up and breaks. However, if a walled wave would stay open long enough after the point you’re able to ride it, then you could still have some fun with it. Also, the first and last waves in a set – the smallest ones – tend to have more lefts and rights than the very largest waves.

I’ll probably have a double session tomorrow and I’ll probably leave PB and go somewhere else for one of them. Should be exciting!!!

January 2010 Surf Total: 6 hours, 30 minutes
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 3 hours, 45 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 10 hours, 15 minutes

Reed to PB Drive - 2-4', occ. 5-5+'

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:28:29 PST

January 7, 2010 – I drove to Reed and hopped in today. The water was cold, but the air was warm. There was a decent current taking me north. I fought it a little, but I let it take me because there were several corners in the vicinity. Later in the session, the current took me a bit south. I imagine the rip currents were moving in circles or something.

The waves were good, but not great. Most of them were in the 2-4 ft. range, but every once in awhile a 5 or 5+ wave or two would roll through. There were some soft, lengthy rides. I managed to flip some 360s, but usually at the end of the ride. I also caught some waves in very shallow water. The tide was low/medium when I went around 2pm for an hour.

There were a few people in the water today. Most were beginning surfers trying to learn. The rip currents weren’t too bad, so that was good. Toward the end of my session, I spent some time on the inside waves. It was one of those days where the shallow, inside waves were breaking nicely, so I had to go off on a few. On one wave, I was taking it right, then it got crossed up, so I dropped in after cutting back. I dropped into probably 6 inches of water. Try doing that with a surfboard.

A new swell is coming and it should be several feet bigger tomorrow! In fact, it may peak on Saturday at 10’! I’m hoping for some juicy overhead waves tomorrow. I’ll probably go around sunset, but I might go earlier or I might even go twice!
Yesterday, I rode my beach cruiser to the beach at Diamond, then to Mission Beach and back up to Law St. and finally home. I also pulled Jordan around the boardwalk as she stood on a skateboard. Great fun! We followed Slo-Mo for awhile, but he lost us for a bit and we caught up with him by Be Curious. It was a 90 minute ride in total and the sunset was amazing.

January 2010 Surf Total: 5 hours, 30 minutes
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 3 hours, 15 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 8 hours, 45 minutes

1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. with poor form at Diamond St. today

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:08:31 PST

January 5, 2010 – Today’s session was ok. The waves were really soft and rolly, though. The angle was gnarly. These were the kind of waves that were coming in from the NW and the top of the wave would break and the rest of it would roll. Therefore, it was exceptionally hard to catch them, especially because they were barely hitting 5-6’. If they were a foot or two bigger, they would have been awesome.

Since the waves were really rolly, I missed a few. However, there were a bunch of people out there missing a bunch. By session’s end, I had strung together a number of really nice, long lefts and rights. I also got tubed a couple of times and did a 180 Shooter or two. Oh yeah, several 360 spins, too. I took a couple of really long rides where I’d eventually toss a 360 and keep going for a bit on the whitewash.

The swell is supposed to get a little smaller for tomorrow, then increase in size throughout the week. One forecaster said today that there could be a solid week of overhead waves headed our way! Woohoo! I can’t wait.

Today’s waves were 1-3 ft., occ. 4-6 ft. with poor form and some bump from the wind at 3:40pm at Diamond St. I was in the water for approximately an hour and fifteen minutes at medium/low tide. There was a weak current pulling me north. The sunset was amazing.

Yesterday, I rode the exercise bike at the gym for an hour. I added that to my other exercise total below.

January 2010 Surf Total: 4 hours, 45 minutes
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 1 hour, 45 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 6 hours, 30 minutes

Indoor soccer game and 2-4 ft., occ. 5-8+ ft. in PB

Jason@sdmusiclessons.com (Jason Gastrich) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:37:15 PST

January 3, 2010 – First, I played in an exciting indoor soccer game today. We were ahead toward the beginning and middle of the game, but ended up losing 5-4. I scored a goal on a low volley to the left corner in the first half. I also had an assist to Mike Sorenson. It was fun playing with him because we played in high school together. Felt like old times!!

I made it through the game without getting too banged up. Just a rugburn on my right knee. And I might be getting a blister. The game ended just 8 seconds after I slid this loudmouthed girl in the box and got a 2 minute penalty. I was fighting for the ball, to give us a last second goal to tie the game and her and I went to kick it at the same time and she hit the ball but I hit her foot. I thought she was going to fight me, but she just mumbled some things and walked off.

Right after the game, I went to my favorite surf spot. The tide was going to be just right. A really big swell was peaking. Winds were light. Man, it was just awesome. Epic conditions and day today. I took some really nice, long rides where I cut all over the place and did lots of 360s. On a couple of waves, there was another surfer riding it from far away, but toward me. I was taking those waves left and they were taking them right. I spun 360s and dropped in both times.
The water was pretty cold. I forgot my neoprene boots, so my feet were cold. The gloves and 4/3 wet suit help immeasurably. I can just tell it’s getting colder. Surfline said it was between 55-58 degrees. Fortunately, it was sunny with light winds and the air temperature was about 75 degrees.

There was an old bodysurfer out there today. He caught some big waves and even cut across them. One kid was on a surfboard without a wet suit. He HAD to have been freezing his ass off. I talked to him about it for a minute or two. He was toughing it out, but I didn’t see him again.

There were a small clump of people with surfboards right around Diamond, so I caught waves there for awhile. At one point, two people were getting on their boards on the same wave right in front of me. Well, one immediately falls and the board shoots up into the air. The other cuts left and almost falls. I dive for the bottom of the ocean, so that board doesn’t hit me and it doesn’t. I come up with my left arm over my head – which is pretty standard when I think they’re could be a board flying at me – and it didn’t hit me. Whew. All I could think and say is, “Man, this feels like the summer.” The dude who ate it obliged and probably noticed the shocked/exasperated look on my face and knew what it meant as I paddled out past him.

I got tubed a couple of times. Big rolly tubes. Plus a 180 shooter or two. Fortunately, I didn’t really get tossed during this session. There was a pretty strong current going north today. It was going south yesterday. I had to hop out a couple of times and walk back to where I began.

The wave angle was really steep today. There wasn’t much wind, so that could have contributed to it. A lot of these waves just rolled and were soft, but by the time an hour was up I had caught a whole lot of great waves. If the Chargers weren’t playing, I would have stayed and caught more.

I almost forgot to mention that the waves were 2-4 ft., occ. 5-8+ ft.

January 2010 Surf Total: 3 hours, 30 minutes
January 2010 Other Exercise Total: 45 minutes
January 2010 Grand Total: 4 hours, 15 minutes