I have a stack o' fishy books requiring a good home.
This is partially due to my new geographic location but mostly because, once in a while, I feel it's totally possible to suffer from an anxiety attack when I see too much "stuff" around me. That's why I love this so-called 'ebook revolution:' I can have lots of books within reach, but not have to see them. Brilliant.
(EDIT, 21-Aug-13: I've another, newer reason to downsize - I'm giving up my apartment and buyin' a friggin' van so I can travel around, chasing fish. Proceeds from selling these books will go directly into my #VanFund.)
So it's time to downsize a little bit. Some of these books have been extremely helpful in my (ongoing) development of an angler. And most, if not all, of these books have entertained me during various fishless stretches due to work or winter.
I hope they all find a good home where they can provide knowledge and entertainment to their next readers.
Note: Prices INCLUDE shipping. If you live outside of Canada & the USA, expect shipping charges to be higher, however. Use the contact page to order or for more information; I can accept PayPal or Interac Email Transfer.
Warmwater Books
Fly Fishing for Smallmouth by Bob Clouser. Hardcover. $35. - SOLD
Bass on the Fly by A.D. Livingstone. Paperback. $15. - SOLD
Smallmouth Fly Fishing by Tim Holschlag. Paperback. $25. - SOLD
Trout (& Chrome) Books
Trout Bum by John Gierach. Paperback. $15.
Still Life With Brook Trout by John Gierach. Paperback. $15.
No Shortage of Good Days by John Gierach. Hardcover, signed by John Gierach and Bob White. $25. - SOLD
Mist on the River by Michael Checchio. Hardcover. $22.
Charlie Craven's Basic Fly Tying by Charlie Craven (duh!). Hardcover. $37.
Books for the Salt!
The Orvis Guide to Saltwater Fly Fishing by Nick Curcione. Paperback. $18.
Fly Rodding the Coast by Ed Mitchell. Paperback. $20.
Fly Fishing the Saltwater Shoreline by Ed Mitchell. Hardcover. $25.
Striper Moon by J. Kenney Abrames. Paperback. $15.
Saltwater Fly Patterns By Lefty Kreh. Paperback. $18.
Of Wind and Tides by Stu Apte. Paperback, signed by author. $25.
Redfish on the Fly by John Kumiski. Paperback. $18.
Fiction Titles
Ninety-two in the Shade by Thomas McGuane. Paperback. $12. - SOLD
Saltwater Summer by Roderick Haig-Brown. Paperback. $12. - SOLD
I find myself with a lot of content suitable for my other website but also fitting 411#3.Reggae music can certainly be equated with saltwater, and blue lobsters would fit in well with whatever the hell it is I do on this site. I think it's called crossover.
Books are definitely a big crossover item between the two sites; I like books a lot, fishing or not, and a lot of them are salt-related. Even if they're not salt-related, name a better place to read a book than beside saltwater. So with that, I present my recommendations for your summer reading list...located on the other website here.
In other news, I think I'm an introvert now. Maybe I've always been and just hid it really well, and, if so, that task was most likely completed with a lot of help from dark rum from 1994 to 2001, and premium vodka from 2001 to 2010.
But those are stories for another time. I'm off to hide away in a lonely hotel room with one of the books on that reading list.
Well-written and entertaining, matching good storytelling with solid how-to.
In-depth tips on equipment, flies, how to recognize favourable environments to locate fish.
Available in e-book editions.
Cons:
Dealt almost exclusively with the Puget Sound. I'm left wondering if the tips & techniques are applicable elsewhere. EDIT: The author clarified the techniques ARE applicable for sea-run cutthroat throughout their range. See comments for more info.
Overall Rating: 3.75 / 5
* * *
This book showed up in my Kobo Reader app's 'recommended for you' and I bit on it. I don't regret it; the book was an enjoyable read as well as informative.
The main reason I purchased it was to gain a base of knowledge for cutthroat fishing once I arrive on Vancouver Island (and I wanted something 'fishy' to read here in Africa). Though I'm slightly disappointed Mr. Allen did not discuss any locations other than Puget Sound in Washington, his storytelling made the purchase and time commitment worthwhile.
If the author had titled the book Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat in Puget Sound, I'd probably have given him 4.5 / 5...but then I might not have bought the book in the first place.
I will be returning to the chapter containing fly recipes in the future, however. And I do feel pretty good about myself if I ever find myself in the vicinity of Puget Sound.
Kudos to Stackpole Books for making the book available for e-readers.
The seventh edition of three items/subjects/places/people worth checking out to make life as an angler and global citizen far more enjoyable.
1. Recycled Waders
The 'nook sack from Recycled Waders
There's a few smallish players in the fly fishing industry that have come on the scene over the last few years.
I think it's great; I'm one of those hippy communist free-thinkers people that believes a resurrection of cottage industries is the way out of the mess globalization has created. That is, people creating their own goods or services (& destiny) as opposed to slaving away at a soulless job while worried about a pink slip arriving at any moment.
Vedavoo & Smith Fly have been getting a fair amount of press and rightfully so, but another one you should check out is Recycled Waders.
The concept is simple & brilliant. They repurpose leaky waders into 'new' useful gear: packs, wallets, reel cases and the like.
Waders don't get sent to the landfill, and the gear at Recycled Waders is very reasonably priced, likely due to decreased material costs. Win-win.
I purchased the 'nook sack and think it's great; it fits exactly what I need and doesn't let me take more than what I need. Thus fulfilling those hippy communist free-thinking minimalist tendencies I lean toward.
2. Fly Fishing for Coastal Gamefish by Dr. Aaron Adams
As a self-confessed nerd, this book seems as though it was written for "fishing nerd me.' There's a lot of science in it. I think it's awesome.
I picked it up this summer when we were visiting Asheville, NC. I read it in a tent, on the hostel's balcony, on the beach at Sullivan's Island, in the hotel in Massachusetts, on the plane to Nunavut and on a boat in Belize. I read it just about anywhere a person could read a book.
If you're an angler heading for any inshore fishing anywhere south of the Carolinas (& north of Venezuela) and want to understand the various habitats, fish and prey, this book is definitely for you.
Is it for everybody? Definitely not, especially if the most literary or scientific thing you read each week is my rambling bullshit.
Whether you're a nerd or not, it's worth having on your bookshelf for reference.
A distinct lack of interwebz in my new apartment has hindered any & all attempts at posting since last week's Friday Post of Randomness.
Add in moving, fishing, unpacking, etc., and all of a sudden, sitting down for an hour results more in symptoms of narcolepsy than words on paper...or screen.
So this routine should seem a little familiar: go grab a coffee, sit back and relax. It is Friday, after all; it's not like you're actually working.
FredRock 2012 Lineup
My good friends at BabZees Entertainment have announced the lineup for FredRock 2012, being held again in August at the Loyalist Rugby Club. I don't need to say how awesome it is that we're into year four of FredRock, with all but the first festival held at the rugby club.
The lineup for this year's show, being held over two nights, features a lot of talent, with a few of my favourites in there.
Matthew Good headlines Friday night, and Steve Earle...yes, that Steve Earle...headline Saturday night.
Supporting acts include frequent 411#3 embedded youtube talent Matt Mays & el Torpedo, as well as The Trews, AWOLnation, The Sheepdogs, Walk Off The Earth, Elliott Brood and Poor Young Things.
I think this is one helluva lineup for FredRock this year. Congrats to the guys at BabZees for pulling together such an event for the city of Fredericton (and at the Loyalist Rugby Club, too).
Musical Interlude
Here are a couple tunes from two of the acts on the FredRock 2012 lineup.
A few days after I posted it, the man himself emailed me to thank me for reading and reviewing the book. Since I'm not bold enough to assume Mr. Cunningham is a regular reader, that's pretty cool in itself.
What's really cool is what showed up in my mailbox this week: a signed hardcopy of his book.
I appreciated just receiving an email from him. I really appreciated this.
Thank you, Mr. Cunningham.
(Note: I still remain envious of his boat & seaplane. I told him so in my email response. He still sent me the book. Honesty, people. Honesty. It pays off.)
The Birth of a Tournament Angler...
...takes place tomorrow morning. Though it almost wasn't going to happen; as I mentioned last week, my truck is awaiting new parts which prevents the towing of the Magnificent Basstard.
No worries, as my tournament partner Pat (he of the City Limits Muskie last year) also has a boat...which suffered from a broken trailer axle a few days ago. Fortunately he has it fixed up & running, so we should be good to go for tomorrow!
The rod quiver tomorrow includes:
Cabela's CGR 7'6" 7/8wt, matched with Hardy Ultralite reel and Sage's Performance Bluegille Taper fly line;
Quantum's most inexpensive spinning rod & reel in existence, in case it gets dirty, stinking windy out.
The Long Stick Renegade, as Cameron over at The Fiberglass Manifesto tweeted to me a few days back. I like the sound of that. Stay tuned for a post-tournament report, and perhaps I will live-tweet the tournament action (@mattrevors).
Upcoming Stuff
The cool folks over at Redington have sent me a pair of their Sonic-Pro Wading Pants to use & abuse. I had them on yesterday for the first time, and will be taking them to Alaska to test out.
I'm heading to Alaska! For three weeks! But it's for work, and it's on this coming Tuesday, which is way to soon, considering I only got back from the Arctic last Tuesday.
Word on the street is I'll have some grayling and possibly pike & salmon available in Alaska. I'm still in the decision stage of what gear to bring, but it looks like it's been narrowed down to my 5wt, 7wt and possibly my 10wt.
The cool folks over at Rio have sent me one of their specialty pike taper fly lines for the 10wt rod to demo (hopefully) on our local muskie population. Seeing that there are pike in Alaska, and I do have a score to settle (and asterisk to remove) with pike, I'm leaning towards the 10wt setup coming on the trip....just in case...
Fly tying has taken a backseat due to the move & such, but I'm hoping to get back on my tarpon, smallie & muskie tying kick real soon.
I'm currently reading Captain John Kumiski's Redfish on the Fly: A Comprehensive Guide. Read into that statement as much as you like, knowing what you know about my impulsive travel habits. And expect a book review at some point.
More Music...
...from FredRock 2012 performer Matt Mays & el Torpedo.
That's all for now
Have a great weekend, everyone; may all your fish be epic in fun...not size.
I was browsing through the website of Florida Sportsman last week to get a little mid-workday fishing fix and came across a little blurb about this book.
Always on the lookout for some reading material for the Kobo e-reader my lovely girlfriend gave me for my birthday, I downloaded it & gave it a read.
To be totally honest, I have mixed feelings about people targeting fish for IGFA records; on one hand, it's kinda cool to have the wherewithal and the ability to pursue trophy fish on light tackle.
On the other hand, it seems slightly selfish to fight a fish for 7 hours and kill it for the sole purpose of getting your name on a certificate from the IGFA. It's that type of behaviour that gets the hardcore angry lefties' panties in a bunch. As in the types that are way more angry and left than me.
It should be noted, however, the IGFA is starting to recognize its place in the current world, and has started accepting submissions for all-tackle length records, enabling the fish to be released. Just be prepared to swallow the $50 for the IGFA-approved length measuring device...
Is there any other industry that charges $50 for a damn ruler?
Back to the book, however... It is a good & entertaining read, and provided an adequate amount of fishiness on these cold & fishless Nunavut nights. The fact Cunningham started chasing his records on redfish & wrote pretty extensively about them won me over, too.
In fact, he won me over sufficiently that I didn't even start to hate him when he described going out and buying his own sea-plane and getting a custom-designed boat built...just so he could chase IGFA records.
(Meanwhile, back in the land of realistic finances, I hope my rustic $3800 aluminum-hull fishing boat doesn't get seized by Revenue Canada before I can go fishing with it...)
Fly Fishing for Smallmouth in Rivers and Streams by Bob Clouser
Pros: Lots of tips, tricks, techniques, flies & pics of big-ass smallies. Plus there's something about the bluntness of old timers trying to teach you something, as in "you can't catch anything if you can't cast to it, dumbass" (I might have paraphrased that).
Cons: it's a little spendy, and it's a bitch for carry-on reading material (trust me on that) due to size.
Overall: Love this book. I've read it cover-to-cover a few times, and pick it up very often just to re-read certain sections. Worth the price.
Ask for it at your local fly shop or local independent bookstore.
********
As you're probably all tired of reading, I had a little techno-brainfart with regards to my domain name, RSS feed, links to earlier posts, etc, etc, etc.
I managed to get a redirect in place, and I've gone back 90 previous posts to update links to other posts...and will complete the task on the other 100 posts in the very near-future...yeah, I was as surprised as you are about having 190 posts...
However...those of you who were subscribed to RSS to the old 411number3.net domain: there ain't nuthin' I can do about that.
If you could resubscribe using the link on the upper right of the sidebar, I'd be honoured (if you haven't subscribed before, you can do it via FeedBurner RSS or email at the top right of the sidebar).
You fine folks that have me on your blogroll: I would be eternally grateful if you updated the domain name so the current post would be listed.
Time/Date: 2235 AST, 16-Jan-12
Location: My tying bench
I decided to plunk my ass at my tying bench to give myself a crash course in spinning deer hair for bass bugs...and try out my new Peak Rotary Vise in the process.
My lovely gf gave me a gift card to the bookstore for Christmas so I ordered up Bass Bug Basics by John M. Likakis to help speed the self-taught crash course up a little bit. If you're interested in tying bass bugs, it's definitely a handy resource to have on hand.
For my first tie, I decided on trying my hand at Tap's Bug, which was declared the "best bass bug ever" in the Nov/Dec 2008 issue of Fly Rod & Reel magazine. You see step-by-step pics & instructions to tie the bug on Fy Rod & Reel Online here.
This is what the finished bug is supposed to look like (from the Fly Rod & Reel article):
And, after a few thread-snaps, a lot of trimming and minor cursing, this is what I ended up with:
I'm usually pretty critical of my tying...but realize bass aren't typically as critical & selective; if they're eating, they'll eat that. So I'm ok with this first effort. I'm not going to fish it; instead, I'm keeping it as a benchmark to measure up future bass bugs to. And yes, there will be many future bass bugs.
A few things to point out if you're going to start tying deer hair bass bugs:
make sure your tying scissors are sharp;
pick up some old-timey, flexible razor blades for trimming the deer hair. I found a package of Wilkinson Sword Classics at Shoppers Drug Mart. Ten double-sided blades = 20 razor blades for sculpting bass bugs; just snip 'em in half with a Leatherman or similar;
get a strong thread. I'm using UNI BigFly thread...and snapped it a few times while tying my first bug
be patient! I ended up cutting off my second bug of the night to start over due to trying to rush. Take your time & follow the steps;
be prepared to make a mess. I don't think I have ever done a recreational activity that makes a mess like this. If you're married, do NOT do this at the dining room table if your better half is within a three hours' drive radius of your home. Bass bugs are that perfect excuse to set up a personal tying area, far from any potential marital disputes.
In addition to the razor blades, other items that are handy to have are: rounded-tip tweezers (for pushing thread/knots along the hook shank) and a fine-toothed comb (for cleaning underfur from deer hair).
If you want to put on those rattling, googly doll eyes, you can pick up packages of 300 for cheap at craft shops. A drop of ZapAGap or similar cyanoacrylate adhesive will keep them on the bug through most battles with bronzebacks...or bucketmouths...
Once I improve spinning/packing/sculpting these bad boys, I'll post a few more.
Time/Date: 1320, 01-Dec-11
Location: Fredericton, NB
Anyone & everyone who is reading this should take 20 minutes & totally clean their email inbox. Delete all the unnecessary, and archive the necessary.
Or just go & declare email bankruptcy, and delete all of them.
JFDI. You'll thank me for it later.
Onto the good stuff.
Boat
I can't remember if (or how in depth) I mentioned my boat.
Right before I went to Idaho for work, a friend sent me a text saying he was selling his boat & looking to upgrade. I replied back, "how much?" My next text message was "Sold!"
The boat is a Grumman 1752 aluminum hull with a Evinrude 50hp two-stroke motor.
And I can't be happier (though I still dream of someday owning this).
Not only did I purchase the boat via text message, I also paid for it via email Interac transfers while in Idaho.
Ain't technology wonderful.
Of course, due to various travel & changing of the seasons, I only got out once in it before we winterized it. But it's ready to rock for next spring!
Bass
Of course, now being a boat owner, the logical next step would be to fish more from a boat. To facilitate that (i.e., having even more of an excuse to fish), I decided I'm going to enter a few of the local bass tournaments next year.
But I'm doing them with the fly rod.
Kicker is, rods must be less than 8' in length for tournament angling.
My 6wt Redington Predator setup, at 7'10" fits the bill nicely, and I've had considerable good fortune fishing with it already. But I wanted another bass-specific fly rig, preferably in the 7/8wt range for tossing bigger bugs and such.
To top it off, Cameron Mortenson of The Fiberglass Manifesto and his unholy army of glass geeks might have been able to brainwash me a bit on the smooth casting actions and fun fish-fighting capabilities of fiberglass rods.
So I posed Cameron the question: recommend a decent 7/8wt fiberglass rod that is under 8' in length.
He came back pretty quick with Cabela's CGR. At 7'6", it does the trick, and at $99, it does said trick quite affordably. Conveniently enough, I was in Idaho & heading back to Boise, where there is a Cabela's located pretty close by to my hotel.
Cabela's CGR. 7'6", 8wt, 3pc. My bass-buggin' rig.
I'm all about supporting your local fly shop. As much as humanly possible. But sometimes you have to bend your own rules. Especially when it comes to a 7/8wt fiberglass rod, under 8' in length, and under $100. Besides, where do you think the reel, backing, line & bass-bug fly tying materials are going to come from?
On top of that, when Chris at Fredericton Outfitters starts carrying the Sage line up this winter, do you think I'll be able to resist this?
So support your local fly shop. 97% of the time, at least.
I did get the CGR out once before things shut down for the year (same day I took the boat out for my one & only ride as a boat owner). The unholy army of glass geeks were right: it does cast smooth...once I figured out the action & how to cast it...
Thanks, Cameron! And sorry, Chris...I won't ever do that again.
More Bass
I ordered a couple fly fishing for bass books. They should be here soon (edit: I just rec'd a call; one of them is at my local independent book seller awaiting pick up now!!)
Once I dive into them a bit, I'll share what they are & whether or not they're worth your hard-earned time & money.
Ummm....Support your local independent bookstores!
Bike
In my quest to be a cheapskate, burn less gass & save money live a more sustainable lifestyle & lessen my impact, I'm gonna try to become a bike commuter.
(Note: I'm not sure what I'll be commuting to, however. I don't work locally. I'll figure something out.)
I got in touch with Kent, local twitteratti and guru of all things pedal-driven. Never settling for something easy & always looking for something I can leave incomplete (fly tying app? learning photo editing software? building a homemade wind turbine?), I wanted to build my own bike and perhaps learn some (semi-)practical knowledge of bike maintenance.
Kent set me up with a frame, seat, fork, derailleurs, cranks, and a bunch of other thingies I don't know the name of, as well as a shopping list of other do-dads. The two local bike shops, Radical Edge & Savage's, filled out the rest of the stuff on the list. And Kent is gonna learn me how to wrench a bike this weekend.
(Note: I can't say enough about how awesome & helpful the dudes at Savage's were. Go there for all things bike. Seriously.)
Kent's asking price: fly fishing gear & local knowledge.
Mat receives: bike & bike maintenance knowledge.
For the second time this post: "Sold!"
I'll post some pics of the bike build we're doing this weekend in an upcoming post.
Ummm....Support your local bike shop!
(Sense a theme yet? This wasn't planned. Seriously)
Random Cool Thing #1
Using Google Maps to outline the route on an envelope.
I made it home on Wednesday afternoon...it was a long four weeks, but all is good (even better once my invoice gets paid).
In addition to my adorable dog & my beautiful girlfriend, I had a couple packages waiting for my arrival as well.
One was my new pair of Costa sunglasses I won from SoCal Salty's#Salty500 contest. They are pretty sweet. I'll have a review & pics of them posted soon (like, Sunday-soon).
The other was this gem:
Yeah. That's right. The new John Gierach book, No Shortage of Good Days, autographed by the man himself. And Bob White, too. One of Bob's paintings was used as the cover illustration.
I'm a pretty big fan of Gierach's writing; in fact, one of my earliest posts featured some of his quotes. You can read that post here.
On top of all this goodness, I went fishing yesterday, too. I slept through an epic rain & thunderstorm that happened the night before last; unfortunately, water conditions on the Nashwaak were high, swift & cloudy.
I still caught an above-average sized fish, though: a 10" creek chub.
Tomorrow will bring a 5AM wake-up for another fly fishing adventure: muskie on the fly rod.
I will be hitting the vise this afternoon for a few more big "eff-off" flies like this:
Being back in the land of reliable & fast interhorn connections, I was also able to finally download Matthew Good's new album, Lights of Endangered Species. It will be on while I clean...and tie big "eff-off" flies for the muskie (mis)adventures tomorrow.
I posted my first reading list for my self-directed saltwater fly fishing course a couple months ago. Here are a few more titles I've been reading while waiting for stripers to arrive (and now waiting to leave here so I can return closer to saltwater).
I'm not completely through all of them yet but, based on what I've read of them so far, they would be good additions to any (wannabe) striper fisherman's library.
Fly-Fishing the Saltwater Shoreline by Ed Mitchell: This is the sequel of Fly Rodding the Coast and is more detailed with regards to various species found along the coast of Northeastern US (and, sort of by default, the Maritime Provinces). Like the previous book, this is a reference manual that will be handy to keep close at hand.
Fly Fishing the Striper Surf by Frank Daignault: This guy is a crusty old salt and well-known sharpie when it comes to fishing stripers. He's published about four thousand books about surfcasting (which I haven't read). This book is alright & I enjoyed his crustiness that comes through in his writing. You'll learn lots of useful tips from this book.
Striper Moon by J. Kenney Abrames: Don't be put off by this book being half the number of pages of a magazine: this is a good read. This book is written almost purely on opinions & observations, and not necessarily a how-to book. As Lefty Kreh wrote in the foreward: "My only regret is that Ken did not write a bigger book."
There would have been a fourth title to review in this post, but it's has been on backorder since the first week of March. Apparently (as I found out after the fact) it's a "must-have" title for anything & everything about fishing stripers on the fly; in fact, that's the title: Stripers on the Fly, by Lou Tabory.
I keep forgetting I ordered it, but Amazon keeps emailing me every 3-4 weeks to say the delivery date is going to be 4-6 weeks later than planned. So maybe in July I'll have a blurb about it.
Of course, by July, I'm hoping to have landed my first striper on the fly.
********
I brought my fly-tying vice to Saskatchewan. And, unlike Mexico, I'm actually using it!
I find a bit of irony in tying my first flies of 2011, saltwater flies at that, while located in Saskatchewan, the furthest I have been from an ocean in over a year (I think...?).
I brought a very small sample of tying material with me: bucktail, yak hair, marabou, crystal flash, thread, eyes, stainless steel hooks, head cement.
It's been good practice for the last couple nights, which I sorely need: I've probably tied less than a dozen flies in my life. I hope to stay motivated to bang out one or two each night I'm here...or until my materials run out.
Here are a few examples (in chronological order, since Friday):
Blue over white bucktail with pearl flash, size 1 hook
Clouser practice: Night Clouser with red flash
Black bucktail streamer with red head & chartreuse flash
Black on black bucktail with black flash
(my heads are getting a little more tidy)
********
Music time. An appropriately-titled song for me for 2011.
Time/Date: 1515 CST, 01-Mar-11
Location: Estado de Guerrero, Mexico
This still remains a fly fishing blog, at heart. Honestly.
I have just sort of found myself travelling and not fishing over the past little while. That's not to say I haven't been obsessing thinking about fly fishing this whole time.
As some of you might have read over the past few months, I have been afflicted with the bug of saltwater fly fishing. It took one day of hooking redfish to develop this affliction.
Even though most of my time since New Year's has been spent working in far-off locations, I have been doing lots of homework to start taking this whole new world of saltwater fly fishing seriously.
Here's some of the reading material I've been going through to get my fix:
Fly Fishing in Salt Waters: this magazine has some fly fishing heavyweights writing for it: Lefty Kreh, Nick Curcione, Barry & Cathy Beck, and more. Lots of info pertaining to techniques, fly-tying, gear and places in each issue. Best part: you can subscribe for cheap via digital copies of the magazine through Zinio. I have the Zinio app on my iPod, which lets me take multiple issues in my pocket.
Fly Rodding the Coast by Ed Mitchell: This book has A LOT of information on how to read shores & coasts for finding fish. Predominantly focuses on the species found in the Northeast US...which is found close to the Fundy Coast of New Brunswick...just sayin'
The Orvis Guide to Saltwater Fly Fishing by Nick Curcione: This is a very good starting point for those making the switch from chucking size 16 dry flies for 12" trout i.e., me last fall.
Note: There’s a pile o’ videos in this post. If you can’t see them in your RSS Reader, click here to go directly to the post.
A minor side-benefit to sitting on drill rigs through night shift: they occasionally break down.
This allows one to do fun activities, like having a sip of water/coffee, eating, using the bathroom, or completing data entry. When the drill is coring, it’s possible to have no chance to do them.
(Un)fortunately for me, even when things are semi-chaotic, I ponder things a lot. Blame lack of focus, multitasking, whatever.
Since I’ve been listening to my iPod non-stop since leaving YFC, I’ve been pondering music. And I’ve been reading a lot, so I’ve been pondering books, too.
At this very second, the rig is on a prolonged breakdown (& I completed all activities listed above). So I get to type up my ponderings in my corner office.
The corner office. Great view.
Pondering Topic #1
I firmly believe Hey Rosetta! (myspace here) is severely underrated. I’ve listened to Into Your Lungs a few times while working & find it brilliant.
You can pick up their album on iTunes here. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Pondering Topic #2
One of my 11 for 11 goals was to read more meaningful shit. Not being mentally prepared to dive into Walden (reading it now, more on that below), I started with The Prospector by J.M.G. Le Clézio.
Le Clézio was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008, so it’s easy to believe he writes meaningful material. The book was good; I recommend it.
But...
**SPOILER ALERT**
The ending pissed me off so much I wanted to throw the book in the nightwatchman’s campfire. I like stories with endings of ‘boy wins game (in this case, finds treasure), boy gets girl, they live happily ever after.’
I read hundreds of pages to discover the main character doesn’t find the treasure or get the girl, and then lays down in the woods to die. He doesn’t do much to change that whole ‘cheese-eating surrender monkey’ stereotype.
Pondering Topic #3
To recover from the piss-off of The Prospector, I grabbed Playing for Pizza by John Grisham from the community pile in camp.
I’m not a Grisham fan, but I needed a light-hearted read & the first few pages seemed to fit the bill.
Verdict: #win
And yes, the boy wins the game & gets the girl.
Pondering Topic #4 Wintersleep (myspace here) was on Letterman last week (video below). This is great; congrats to them. The US is a tough market to break into; national TV is a delightful way to do it.
I really enjoy their first three albums & saw them live a few times in F’ton & Vancouver. The Van show at the Commodore Ballroom ranks up as one of my favourite shows.
My personal opinion: I was disappointed they hauled out Weighty Ghost for Letterman. They have much better stuff. I can assume why, though: it’s the tune most appealing to the masses.
If I was to see them live (again), I’d much rather hear this:
Or this:
(yes, I realize they wouldn’t be able to crank out a 9 minute song on Letterman. If anyone writes a comment to me regarding that, you’re officially a tit-head)
Regardless, best of luck to them. I love it when Maritimers kick ass.
Pondering Topic #6
When you find yourself at a drill rig at the wee hours of the morning & having a few more hours to push through (without the aid of coffee), I highly recommend this tune to help get the synapses firing:
On that note, the drill just fired up.
I must have one last sip of water to prepare for the onslaught of drill core.
Time/Date: 1730, 03-Oct-10
Location: F'ton (Snooty Fox, to be precise)
If you have ever opened a book or magazine about fly fishing, you have probably seen John Gierach's name. He is a legend of the fly fishing world, and his writings on the lifestyle & techniques of fly fishing are nothing but brilliant.
Some classic Gierach quotes: "If nothing else, a road trip amounts to several days of running conversation with friends, and since good conversation is so hard to come by these days, that in itself, is worth the effort."
In the Autumn 2010 issue of Fly Rod & Reel, John writes on steelheading: "Whatever the reason, when you become a steelheader you've either joined an elite class of anglers with heightened sensibilities or you've entered the lunatic fringe of a periphery: a place where voluntarily peeing in your waders indicates a strong work ethic."
Where is was said when someone asked if John was truly a trout bum: "Hey John, how can a guy driving a smokey ol' pickup, wearing raggedy clothes can afford such snazzy fly fishing gear?"
Gierach replied, "I think it should be obvious."
Gierach provided commentary on the AEG film Metalhead (which is awesome, btw); afterwards, Jay of (the group formerly known as) AEG did a fun interview with John on his iphone and posted it:
Ed Abbey is one of my all-time favourites. His book Desert Solitaire pretty much ruined me for any sort of normal, 9-5 Monday to Friday existence. A typical Abbey quote:
"Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: You will outlive the bastards."
He left the following instructions for his remains after his death (from Wikipedia):
He wanted his body transported in the bed of a pickup truck. He wanted to be buried as soon as possible. He wanted no undertakers. No embalming, for Godsake! No coffin. Just an old sleeping bag... Disregard all state laws concerning burial. "I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree." said the message.
As for his funeral: He wanted gunfire, and a little music. "No formal speeches desired, though the deceased will not interfere if someone feels the urge. But keep it all simple and brief." And then a big happy raucous wake. He wanted more music, gay and lively music. He wanted bagpipes. "And a flood of beer and booze! Lots of singing, dancing, talking, hollering, laughing, and lovemaking." said the message. And meat! Beans and chilis! And corn on the cob. Only a man deeply in love with life and hopelessly soft on humanity would specify, from beyond the grave, that his mourners receive corn on the cob.
He was that cranky on national television as well:
It’s old English. As MacBook’s dictionary says, the “archaic spelling of complete.”
You may have seen it before, i.e., The Compleat Angler, where I stole it. Izaak Walton wrote that in 1653. Though I’ve never actually read it.
The profile box for 411#3 contains “compleat” as most posts will have some fly fishing content. But fly fishing does not pay the bills (yet) and no man is an island (unless island = me flailing in a cold, fast river while waders fill), so we’ll cover many different topics.
The Compleat Angler is referenced in The River Why, a magnificent work of fiction by David James Duncan. I strongly recommend it to anyone. You can order it online through Amazon or through a local, independent bookstore like Westminster Books.
Or you can just wait for the movie. Guys, it has Amber Heard in it. Girls, it has Zach Gilford from Friday Night Lights in it.
