with a lot of and about links

there have been a lot more new old school tags poping up in dogtown. it got me thinking about the old pacific ocean park and how this area of santa monica and venice has developed since abbot kinney began long ago. through all of it’s twists and turns, i’d say it probably isn’t far from mr. kinney’s original vision.

in the 1950's lick pier started to make it’s transformation into a 28 acre nautically themed amusement park called pacific ocean park.  but poor management, arduous maintenance, falling attendance and a few mysterious fires led to it’s demise. in the late sixties the ruins became a hang out for the local kids. the remaining pylons were in the shape of ‘u’ and created a somewhat secluded surf spot known as the cove.     it was a very localized and dangerous place.  today, the only remaining evidence is a few signs warning   beach goers of objects beneath the surface.  from that wreckage the infamous zephyr crew was born.  they brought with them a cutting edge hardcore vibe that still has a presence in surfing and skating today.

this is the dogtown these marking are commemorating. i hope it’s just that samo high is out on summer break.  or pray lords of dogtown might be playing at the leammle. unfortunately, i think it is related to horizons west closing it’s doors. i hope the building hasn’t lost its landmark status. r.i.p. abott?

the golf event is planned for saturday, august 28th at the lakes of el segundo around 3pm. we need a headcount by the 19th to book the tee time.

i woke up in the middle of the night in a panic

while digging thru the trash with a flashlight, i remembered there was photographic evidence.

rest assured my friends – there is a ‘g’ in the top left package!

i had a few epiphanies standing outside in my underwear

• a hot dog without fillers, preservatives and nitrates isn’t a hot dog
• there is no way one can eat that poorly and not feel like crap
• any way you mix it, absinthe is still gross. it’s not the way to synesthesia.
• you can wrap real bacon around a veggie dog, but don’t bother wrapping turkey bacon or ‘fakon’ around a real dog.
• the truly remarkable aspect of swedish ingenuity comes after the initial furniture design. the breakdown for packaging and shipping, industrial design of parts for assembly and not one single word in the instruction manual (not like we’d read it anyway)

here is how the points were mechanically separated, stuffed into a cellulose like plastic casing and chemically cured

go cart racing
d.f. 1st place
j.b. 2nd place
c,k. 3rd place

all hot dog eating contestants were awarded two points for their intestinal fortitude

discretionary points
j.d. 2 pts for driving like a mad man and doing the surfboard shlep
f.g. 1 pt for winning the chip challenge
if i had any discretionary points to give, i’d give them all to my HOTY for all of her effort. thanks babe

honesty or absentee

have you heard about this social experiment going on? honest tea has set out to see how honest we are as a nation. they have been setting up a kiosks in major cities with their organic beverages, an unattended cash jar and hidden cameras to observe. if you want a drink – you’re on your honor to pay. i, personally, would be too uncomfortable to make my own change. so without exact cash i would refrain altogether.

today they are at the santa monica pier and venice boardwalk. knowing about the cameras has to be a flaw of this experiment and undoubtedly skews the results. i wonder if enough people paid five bucks for a drink; would l.a. get an honesty rating over 100%. (just thinking it doesn't make me dishonest {i'll go with devious}).

i think lucid should do the same experiment with absinthe (call it absinthea). how honest would you be if you there were shots of a very powerful, once banned and supposedly hallucinogenic, wormwood-laced concoction for a dollar. the hidden cameras would only make it more interesting. what would hemmingway, picasso or mona do?

beach bum

the term has never really sat well with me. i know carl at surfrider. jingles and the boyos at the venice pier, and angelo from bay street. he sometimes sleeps in the parking structure at my office. i don’t think they are bad people (as long as they are lucid). i get the complexities of homelessness, so i try to be understanding (even if the small campfire {in an enclosed parking area!} gets a little out of hand). i work in santa monica so i see first hand what pan handling really affords. i regularly offer some food or bottled water when i get hit up for spare change. i have sprung for forties before (dogtown surfer style) mostly because of the sincerity of the request. i even included a lotto ticket once because everyone needs some hope. if you’re gonna be a bum; you might as well be at the beach. there are public showers, restrooms and plenty of benches - at least they are one outta three… unless you are in ocean beach. they have a new slogan going around

personally, i thought they complemented the surfers, artists, hippys, bikers, tweakers and feral cats pretty well down there. it is such a cool, laid back, little beach town you’d think they could all “coexist” better. i’ve always liked their “keep o.b. funky” slogan.

i’m heading down there for a birthday party on this saturday. i’ll pick you up a sticker if you want one

the event is next saturday, july 17th
the go kart portion is at K1 again at 11:45 am. for more details please refer back to
gentlemen start your engines post

then we have bbq areas 3 – 6 reserved at rec park from 1 to 6pm. bring the whole family! we will do the hot dawg eating there. we will play picnic games like bocce, bags etc. if there is a game you want to play post or email it so we can stay somewhat organized. we can compete against the kids or women, as family teams or whatever.

happy birthday america

the fourth of july weekend came and went. flags were flying. the beach was be packed. the hermosa ironman went down (and i assume some beer came back up). street closures and permitted block parties made getting through town a lot of fun. illegal firecrackers were heard throughout the day. the smell of barbecues filled the air and then fireworks lit up the night sky. americans consumed over 150 million hot dogs this fourth of july {oddly the wiener came to us by way of germany}. it's all pretty interesting how we celebrate our independence.

there was some commotion at the world famous nathan's contest. there was taunting, smack talking, rushing the stage and an arrest. i didn’t know there was so much drama in competitive eating. i didn’t even know there was an international federation, let alone a major league eating organization. apparently, there is a bit of a feud between joey ‘jaws’ chestnut and ‘the tsunami’ kobayashi. and due to some contractual issue kobi didn't get to complete. so much for freedom to binge. upon his release he said he was hungry and wanted to eat some hot dogs. next fourth i'm going to coney island and set up a stand to sell "waNgyOu nathans" all kobe beef dogs.  how do you think shump burgers would sell?

in honor of our independence, july's moty event is a hot dog eating and because so many of you have asked to do the go kart racing again, we thought it would be a good idea to combine the two. we'll call it "racing for pinks"! it sounds totally manly {more so than racing for der weinersnizle}. and to be on the safe side we’ll race first and eat second.

the rules:

• consume as many hot dogs and buns as you can in 10 minutes. 
• whatever type of dog you prefer - all beef {really all..?} turkey or veggie will count too. no cocktail weenies.
• condiments are permitted
• any beverage to help you along the way is allowed
• no reversal of fortune for 10 additional minutes (get'em down is one thing - keeping them down is another)
• the most hot dogs downed is the wiener!

this is a b.y.o. event. i'll bring a cooler and a grill. the rest is up to you. we could tailgate it in the parking lot or come back to town for a picnic in the park with our families. maybe we can bring out the pitching machine, bocce balls, lawn darts and turn it into a moty decathlon. we may need some more volunteers.

it will be on saturday, july 17th.  we are going to need a head count so please reply.