Some more rad videos

This video made me really happy...in the message, the beautiful images, and because I would like to be somewhere a bit warmer right now.  The Go Pro is definitely growing on me and I may have to "borrow" my dad's for a bit ; ) . She seems like a cool person with a good heart and I can definitely (especially in the midst of moving and midterms) appreciate the message to "slow down"...

The waves in this video are a bit more extreme but still beautiful and Morocco is definitely a place I would love to journey to.  A surfing road trip from France down to Morocco would be pretty prime.

homegrown *in santa cruz

Arrrgh new(ish) board...i wanted to draw the Kraken attacking the ship but got nervous that I'd get too complicated and it would get ruined.  Regardless its a 5'7 twin fin + 1 and has some crazy shapes.  Its like a little potato chip compared to my other boards.  Max designed it in his talking to the shaper so I think it might be a bit more shaped towards his tall lankiness but I'm sure I'll get used to it.


*** Upon further experimentation I have decided that this board is AWESOME and quite possibly my favorite.  It got me into and glided me across a beautiful over head wall at Three Mile the other day, racing past sections I thought I surely couldn't beat.

Mexico 8.2011

Reflecting on an awesome trip back in August with good people, good food, and great vibes.  I'm hopefully heading to El Salvador in March and it will only further feed my addiction to fruit, warm water and epic sunsets.

board fixin'

I had to perform some long over due repairs on my 6'0 and the 6'3.  Fortunately the waves were small and the sun was out so it was nice to relish one of the last days spent in our glorious back yard wonderland.  Its treated us well from yoga and hula hooping to fire pits and BBQs.  I documented it for future reference and sentimentality : ) . Our new house has a back yard too but its not as lush and certainly not as large...

Silliness

I saw these two videos in the past week...coincidence? They pretty much encapsulate my life (unless I can find "Shit People with Eating Restrictions Say" ; ) .

Cream Puffs!

 

So I got this bad ass cook book for Christmas and decided to finally make some dishes out of it.  Given my absurd diet I thought that if I could make some cream puffs that fit my requirements it would be pretty insane and awesome.  While they didn't turn out super sweet, they were still really delicious and surprisingly healthy! 

We also made "crepes" but they were more like thin omelets and we filled them with Monterrey jack, zucchini, red bell pepper, chard and avocado.  

Here is the Cream Puff recipe: 

1/2 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

2 table spoons tapioca starch 

2 large eggs plus 1 egg white, at room temp. 

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup unsalted butter (or buttery spread)

3 teaspoons agave 

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cans coconut milk (with the juice drained from the bottom) 

shredded coconut 

spices: ginger, cinnamon to taste

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a 15x10 in baking sheet with non-stick parchment paper. 

2. Whisk flour, starch, into a small bowl, and have it ready by the stove. Have eggs ready as well. 

3. In a medium heavy sauce pan, bring the water, butter, 1 tsp. agave and salt to a boil over medium-high heat.  When mixture starts to boil, add the flour mixture all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and a film forms on the bottom of the pan. 

4. Immediately remove pan from heat and cool at least 5 min., but no longer than 10 min. Using a handheld electric mixer [I really really need to buy one of these] add the eggs, one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. 

[....we forgot to let it cool the first time we reached this juncture and ended up scrambling the eggs and had to start over haha]

5. Drop 12 mounds, approximately 2 in. in diameter onto the baking sheet.  With wet fingers, smooth any points or protrusions and gently shape the mounds so that they form circles that will bake evenly. 

6. Bake 35-45 min. or until cream puffs turn a deep, golden brown. While baking empty the 2 drained containers of coconut milk into a small mixing bowl.  Whip until it reaches a stiff, whipped texture with "firm peaks".  Then add 2 tsp. agave and ginger and cinnamon to taste! Vanilla extract is also good...

[Our over caught on fire while we were baking and we had to transfer all the cream puffs to the toaster oven...we cooked them shorter and surprisingly it worked!]

7. Transfer cream puffs to a wire rack and immediately cut a 1 in. horizontal slit in the side of each cream puff, right where you will eventually cut the puff completely in half.  Cool completely on the wire rack. 

 8. When the puffs are cooled, use a serrated knife to cut each completely in half horizontally along the slit and discard the soft dough inside.  Fill with coconut whipped cream and replace the top.  Dust with shredded coconut and serve!

a good morning

what a nice way to roll out of bed...if only I could do this before my morning cup of chai ; )

 p.s. this lady is f-ing sexy 

elephant arts

We need to reconsider the ancient cave paintings...

In class the past couple days I have been reading various literature on what differentiates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom.  The Alaskan Koyukuk Indians believe that humans have individual souls while animal species have collective souls.  Humans are capable of doing good deeds for one another while animals act on impulse.  Marx says that humans are differentiated by the fact that we create our own material conditions.  Taking Primate Behavior and Ecology last year changed my perspective of animal especially primate consciousness...this video affected my perspective even more!

new home

We have been looking for over a month for a new place to live but have had ZERO success.  I decided that if I couldn't find my dream house I could at least dream about it here...

A tree house....ideally with a warm, right hand point break down the road.

...and a thriving veggie garden below : ) .

christmas giving

Here are a couple of my more interesting christmas gifts.
a) Quinn gave me an awesome Calvin and Hobbes cartoon panel.  Goes back to our childhood of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons...and reminds me of our kittens.
b) I got an awesome Nixon watch that looks like a watch face floating in the ocean.
c) Max gave me some redwood chai tea...looks yum but I have yet to try it.
d) CUPCAKE PILLOW! for sweet dreams

woven exchanges

Mark made me a macrame bracelet after I knit him a beanie! I wish I had taken a photo of the beanie as its a pretty rad one (* note to self to start better documenting my creations).  Anyways the note accompanying it was on some pretty awesome card stock that had fabric sewn to the back.  I had to capture it on film before it began its life as a koster- where it will probably become quickly ruined. 

sunset swiftly

The kind of evening that makes me feel really fortunate to be here in my body right now 

3 mi

birds, swell bands and I got a fin to the cheek (its all good when its only max, me and a two other guys out) .

snackarooons

Laughing Giraffe Organics
Goji Cacao and Maca coconut macaroons

....delicious but dangerous as I nearly ate an entire bag in one day ; )