A little mystical but ..there's a connection at about 10min in.

[Wetstuff]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/opinion/slomo.html?emc=edit_th_20140401&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=22933529&_r=1

You folks in San Diego probably know all about him.

Jim

[raf]

Thanks for posting that.  A nice pause/reset in the middle of a "normal" day.  Thats not to say I necessarily agree with Slomo's mantra, "do what you want".  But its food for thought.

[PonoBill]

I have no problem understanding Slomo's motivations. I have a lot of trouble understanding some of the comments. In my experience the people most ready to direct the lives of other people are those who have made a fine mess of their own.

[Tom]

Here's some of slomo's completion on the boardwalk. This other guy skates every Sunday in a different costume, usually topical and always in a thong.

[SUPcheat]

Going on over two years of retirement, I can understand SloMo's perspective on the career groove and the substitution of money for spiritual growth.  However, it is also difficult to be spiritual without certain amount of not so spiritual money to get by. He seems to have plenty. I would be depressed if somebody told me I had to go back and do what I did for a living again, I just couldn't do it any more.

I know guys who should be retired, but the demands and expectations of being the "money fountain" for their extended families persist.  It is surprising how many keep working because their families let them know they are less valued if they are not a production  mule, maybe a combination male guilt thing and inflexible career identification.

 Really, you can't control the future for anybody much less your family, you need to pick a time and place to let go and get back to your soul.

SUP has unexpectedly provide me with some of that SloMo karma, though, I have to admit, I am not quite that spaced out yet, maybe in a few more years. It is kind of an insane sport.  Who goes out against mighty mother ocean standing on a plank with a stick?

[Subber]

Cool....I like it.

I'm going to get some blades.
 

[PonoBill]

It's kind of a horrific thought, but I'm actually quite graceful on Rollerblades. I can do the usual set of spins, salchow jumps, mowhawks, axels, etc, all modified for the less defined platform of wheels instead of blades. Then again, my bad shoulders come from rollerblade hockey, not any water sport.

There may be a thong in my future.

[DavidJohn]

I want to be just like Slomo…. Great vid.

[Wetstuff]

I first thought the transition was kinda cool.. in a 'F-the-Man' sort way, but I am left with the feeling that he may have rather kept the 12cyl Beemer and the mansion. The change may not have been a choice; he may have lost privileges and his license.  Remember he could not recognize faces?  "Prosopagnosia can result from stroke, traumatic brain injury, or certain neurodegenerative diseases." 

He may be in his little apartment on disability because all hell broke loose in his brain.  Payments on the mansion stop suddenly when they pull your ticket.  Lotsa people live over their heads... even the ones that appear really tall.  Other than living in S.D., I end up feeling sorry for him.   

Jim

[SUPcheat]

The change may not have been a choice; he may have lost privileges and his license.  Remember he could not recognize faces?  "Prosopagnosia can result from stroke, traumatic brain injury, or certain neurodegenerative diseases." 

 

The neurologist/author Oliver Sacks has suffered from innate prosopagnosia for years, hasn't held him back much.

I do know people who continue to pursue the bourgeois dreams of big cars, big homes, toys etc., all the stuff they used to call "status groupie".  It's a full time job to maintain all that crap largely for appearances, but if you haven't done it, it might seem better than it is. Of course, in California, a lot of people only relate based on material possessions.  Maybe you could call it the Orange County Hollywood Air Kiss syndrome.

I had a lengthy, spontaneous conversation with a gentleman at the beach while we were both watching surfers at Steamer's in January.  He was clearly quite affluent, but talked about the emptiness of those pursuits and wealth, fair weather friends, etc. much like SloMo, and how he was attempting to re-connect with something spiritual because he had also contemplated suicide with all his stuff around him. He was taking an extended leave of absence to visit family, attend retreats and get into black belt meditation practices.  It was unusual that he would dump like that with a total stranger, but I much appreciated his short window of trust.

I think SloMo is legit, he just made a radical choice to bring some kind of meaning into his life and it just turned out to be something odd and aribitrary.

Don't think I will be showing up in public in roller skates and a thong, though, maybe a burka.

[PonoBill]

Toys are fun, but experiences are real. Money is just grease, and the less stuff you have, the less grease you need. It's nice to be there for your family, but they'd all manage without you and a lot of what patriarchs do is enable more bad decisions. I'm still in the simplifying process, it's gonna take me some time, but it's surprising how good it feels to get rid of crap you thought you'd never let go.

Earth to Bill--when you die, it all goes.

[Weasels wake]

That was awesome, his only problem was that he didn't discover the need for speed (or acceleration) under his own human power until later in life.  He had the cars, but that was speed and acceleration thru mechanical means, and then he was limited by the laws of the road.  PB figured that out by buying a race car and racing, it's totally different and much more rewarding.  But still there is something special by gaining that sensation by using your own power and skill, which PB also does.
Windsurfing does that for me as well, as does SUPing but to a much lesser degree, but then again I haven't done any DW'ers, I'm sure that's a whole other level of reward, reward being in the form of endorphins.  "Do what you want", but if it supplies you with ample endorphins, then you've reached the holy grail.
I plan on trying to windsurf until they have to pry my cold wet hands off of the booms.
I can totally relate.
I should also try to get into doing DW'ers some day also, but when it's windy I still go WS'ing.
Excellent post.

[covesurfer]

Toys are fun, but experiences are real. Money is just grease, and the less stuff you have, the less grease you need.....I'm still in the simplifying process, it's gonna take me some time, but it's surprising how good it feels to get rid of crap you thought you'd never let go.

Earth to Bill--when you die, it all goes.

Ah grasshoppah, there is much truth in these things.....let me know when to come by and pick up your V2 Bullet and one of those motorsickles I like to drool over. Like maybe the Norton. It will lighten your load, spiritually and materially. I am willing to do this for you, even if it means shipping a bike over to the rock, grasshoppah. 

And, speaking of experiences, no d/w experiences today. But, maybe tomorrow will rock and roll and the brown water will clear up a bit.

[DavidJohn]

I should also try to get into doing DW'ers some day also, but when it's windy I still go WS'ing.
Excellent post.

Ha.. that's what I used to think.. 

btw.. Your health is your real wealth.. 

[Tom]

Turns out he is the father of one of the local surfers here. Now we know how the kid gets to live in the ocean front house.

I found Slomo's explanation of how movement creates positive feelings very interesting. I know that some surf rides give of total euphoric feelings. I thought that it was just an adrenaline rush. I think we get the adrenaline rush when we make a scary wave, but sometimes a long fast wave ride just make me feel good, even when its not scary.