After helping organize nine WordCamps, I’ve made just about all the mistakes. Hopefully I’ve learned from each of them. Recently an organizer of an upcoming WordCamp asked me my thoughts on using food trucks to feed WordCampers. The pro is that you get a nice variety of foods to choose from. Much better and much more fun than the grab-n-go sandwich boxes you’ll find at a lot of camps. (I’m not knocking the grab-n-go option. All options have their pros and cons.) The con is that the lines can back up if food truck logistics are planned poorly. Long lines can dampen the mood of a camp, especially when folks are hungry. And the number one thing to make any camp successful is keeping folks happy. So, here are my tips: Taste test: (This is my favorite tip, because I love to eat.) Test out the trucks ahead of time for service and speed. Again, moving folks through the line quickly is key. All trucks will claim they can move people, but that’s not always true. So if you find the trucks you are considering out in the wild, you can see just how quickly they can turn around and order and…
Continue Reading ⇨The Swell Is Here…And It Is Good
I knew that a swell was on the way, but I was busy all weekend so I didn’t pay too much attention. So I was pumped when I biked up to the pier and saw the waves pumping. Glassy water, clear skies, waves peeling left and right, shoulder to head high… Just needed some friends to make it an epic day. I’d been complaining that my 6’8″ Pepito was getting too long for me. Not that the board is magically stretching, but that I keep wanting to hack 4 or 5 inches off it. I want to crank it off…
Continue Reading ⇨Small El Porto Day
It was a small day and we knew that going in. But poor Josh hadn’t been out in forever what with his boat sculpture and getting sick. Peter rolled up shortly after and said Tracy was already out in the water. He and I compared stingray wounds. Sean stopped by to say hello, but had to go to work. There was nothing noteworthy about the surfing itself. Very small waves, we made the best of it. But it was fun hanging out with all the guys as usual. The most disturbing thing about the day was the Hitchcockian flock of…
Continue Reading ⇨Afternoon Delight
Another great day as the awesome swell that made for a superb Hurley Pro at Trestles fades. The wind hadn’t picked up too much and the sun came out, so I rode down for an afternoon surf. It was DElight. The waves were great size, strength and shape. And the crowds were surprisingly light which made it even better. I had a basket full of good waves. So much fun. SO MUCH FUN.
Continue Reading ⇨Super Fun Friday
With the big swell on the way, we first tried hitting up Dockweiler in hopes of catching some of the swell without the crowds, but we were out of luck. So we caravaned down to El Porto and paddled out there. It was a bit crowded, but man, oh man were those waves fun. The rights were gnarly drop-ins and the lefts were spectacular long rides. (The downside of the lefts being that the rip was going in the same direction, so after two or three waves we were a quarter mile down the beach.) Josh, Wilson, CW, Edgar and…
Continue Reading ⇨Just Paddling Practice
It had been about 5 days since I’d been out and the buzz was that there was a gnarly swell on the way. I went out with the main intent of just getting out to paddle about and get everything stretched out. Good thing that was my main goal. It was afternoon and the wind was up so there really wasn’t much on offer. I made a few mushy corners but nothing notable. The funniest thing was before I went into the water a couple of out-of-towners asked if they could take my picture. They wanted a picture of a…
Continue Reading ⇨Small, But Surprisingly Good
We went into this morning thinking it was likely to be another lay-day. But after having a lay-day last week, Sean, CW, Mike and I were hell-bent on paddling out no matter what. Look at that picture! There are no waves nor people out there at all. But much to our surprise, and though the waves rarely were over 2 feet, there was some zip and length to them. And the sun was actually out and warm and the day was gorgeous… We actually had so much fun that we fed the meters after 8 (bastards) to continue our session. …
Continue Reading ⇨Bring Your Quarters: El Porto Parking Lot Meters Now Start at 8am
One good reason to surf the dawn patrol at El Porto was the parking lot meters didn’t start until 9am. Get in the water at 645, surf for two hours, a quick rinse in the shower next to the stairs and you’re in the office by 930, with that stoke that lasts through the day. But changes this weekend might result in your stoke turning to ire – the city has dropped the time the meters begin from 9am to 8am. Which means the casual pre-surf parking lot chit chat and board waxing are suddenly much more expensive. As is…
Continue Reading ⇨Diamonds of Metro Valley Screening in Amsterdam
Seems like all the El Porto gang are up to crazy shenanigans lately. Aaron and his lovely wife Mary will be screening their new film The Diamonds of Metro Valley at the BUT B-movie Underground and Trash Film Festival in Amsterdam on September 10th at 8pm at Nieuwe Veste Theatre 1. If you happen to be in Amsterdam that Friday (instead of surfing at El Porto) check it out. Read Cinema Suicide’s review of The Diamonds of Metro Valley. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmygOxd7ReQ[/youtube]
Continue Reading ⇨See the Sinking Ship!
If you are looking for something awesome to do in the LA area this holiday weekend, I suggest you make a B-line for the Machine Project in Echo Park. Sunday, September 5th from 5pm-10pm is the debut of the Sea Nymph that our beloved Josh has been working on for the last few weeks. Machine Project is located at 1200 N Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Read more about the sinking ship.
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