Been looking through some pics from New Zealand… this one stood out. What a day! Firing!! Click to make it big and check out the little guy on that inside left, he was the only guy out. Can you imagine if this was anywhere in So Cal??? There would be at least 50 guys on that peak… gettin’ all mad at each other! I miss you NZ.
“Betsy- Living the beach bum lifestyle in Kaikoura”Geeeez… I didn’t think it was gonna be this hard. I sold her this morning, just like that…. Betsy -The Van, The Vart Studio, Home Away From Home, Friend, trusty travel companion… and now she’s gone. Sad sad day. I’ll be the first to admit, I had an emotional attachment to my vehicle… but who doesn’t really? Hope she treats her new owners as well as she treated me… no drama, no talking back, she didn’t get jealous when I slept somewhere else, didn’t whine when it was too hot or too cold, loved long drives on the beach and dusty mountain roads…. she was a trooper. But maybe she’s got a younger sister in Oz… : )
My god, just listen to me, I’m almost 30 and have been living out of a van on the beach for the last year, and was an emotional wreck when I sold it… what the hell is happening to me? The journey of life is a weird, weird thing.
Dear New Zealand,
Thank you for such a wonderful time! Really. You’ve given me so many wonderful experiences over the last year… so many good memories that have all added to the richness of my life. And something has been calling me to come here for over 10 years. I’m glad I finally came to enjoy your beautiful islands and great waves. Life is all about turning the things you really want to do into the things you’ve done right?
You’ve raised a good kind of people too. There’s a camaraderie between Kiwi’s that you don’t find in the states or anywhere else I’ve been. Just listening to two strangers talk would make anybody think they go waaaay back. There’s an instant rapport.
And they’re even nice to asshole foreigners like me. It’s like they all know they’ve got this killer little paradise in the South Pacific and they get to stay but eventually we all have to go back home. They’re generally happy with just a sprinkle of dingy which adds to their great character. They’re hilarious. They like to help you and bullshit with you and they smile a lot. Maybe it’s because there’s only 4 million of them, they don’t have pollution or 8 lane freeways, they have more coast line than the US and pumping surf all the way around it. You can’t get very far from the beach if you tried (And I’ve always believed the farther away from the ocean, the stranger people get… after all, we all are made of 70% salt water) Or maybe because they don’t have 5,000+ Illegal Mexicans jumping their borders EVERYDAY, or any borders at all for that matter, or nukes or people trying to blow up their buildings, or a crazy guy named George mucking everything up for the last 8 years. Anywho… Your Kiwi people are on my good list… and even though the girlies aren’t the hottest in the world, they get big bonus points for the extra sexy accent.
As for your waves… some of the best sessions I’ve ever had. Lots of variety, lot’s of swell… but a bit too much wind. You can’t have it all I guess. Some of your barrels will stick with me until I die and put a smile on my face every time I think about them. However, I feel you were holding out on me a little on the South Island, what the hell? But you did save the best for last…
My last session in NZ… not a bad farewell eh?Your scenery and landscape is mindblowing. I got to gaze at some of the most amazing sights I’ve ever seen. Mountain tops, mountain streams, snow covered volcanos, glaciers, ocean cliffs, rain forests, giant sand dunes, rock arches, alpine lakes, fern palms, oceans merging, sunsets that make you think somebody slipped a lil’ LSD in your drink…. all of it jaw dropping. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the visuals!
First sunset of the decade, Kaikoura, NZ – Jan 1st 2010
My time has come, I’m off to visit your big, fat, rowdy neighbor: AUSTRALIA. I’d like to come back someday but only in the Summer or Autumn…. you can keep your Springs and Winters… and you can also keep your Ozone hole (Burn time approx 8 minutes)… and your satanic Sandflies… and all your Mullets and Rat Tails.
I’ll be recommending you to all my friends.
Stay cool. I love you.
Love, Me
Click to see biggerI’ve done my fair share of complaining about how miserable the waves have been here on the South Island over the last couple months. But during the last few days, the East coast finally saw some decent conditions and I’ve been gorging myself as much as possible. And looking back over the pics from November and this month, I realized that we had more than a few fun days… in between the endless hours of driving and getting skunked. Here’s a little collection…
Weather looking good. Plan: Take Kayaks out for 3 days and hike for 2 more around Abel Tasman National Park on North Western tip of South Island, New Zealand.
Bring sling and dive gear for fishies. Stuff Kayak to brim with delicious food items such as: 5 liters of boxed wine, steak, veggies, several flavors of creamy Brie cheese, salami, fruit, musilie etc… Leave Betsy in parking lot all by herself. Kayak to first nights’ camp… small cove with beautiful beach, nobody around, roll around in sand, guzzle wine, eat, enjoy sunshine and tanned naked woman. Sunset brings 2 plump ladies on a kayak who decide to camp as close as possible to us… Grumble, grumble. Curse at the sandflies and their thirst for blood. Forget to pack sleeping pads…. crap. Back hurts just to think about it.
Wake to sun. Make coffee in beloved plunger that doubles as insulated cup (Definitely my most valued purchase of 2009) Low tide, watch Linds pluck Green Lipped Mussels from rocks. Leave camp. Kayak to nearby island. Land on amazing beach. Gear up, spear fish for dinner. Nail 2 mystery fish… go for big tasty looking guy in cave… hit tail, scales fly, disappears in cave… could have fed an army, damn it. Clean fishies. Pack up camp and kayak. Make way up coast, windy around points. Paddle as hard as possible. Find river/estuary to escape from wind. Beautiful glass. Make way towards second camp… see 2 girls in kayak blown far, far out to sea, signaling to boats for help… bummer. Finally make it to camp.
Stuff fishies with lime, onion and spices, wrap in foil… salivate. Curse satanic sandflies. Linds prepares yummy mussels. Sign say: “TOTAL FIRE BAN” I say: “BULLSHIT!” Build fire in cave on beach. Fish in fire, mussels in pot 1, wild rice and veggies in pot 2. Smelling Umm Ummm good. Feast on the fruits of the sea, guzzle wine, drift to sleep. Wake. Coffee. Low, low tide… drag kayak waaaaay too far down to water line. Windy paddle to next camp. Beautiful coastline. High-center onto submerged rock. Can’t move. Spinning around on top. Laugh a little.. but not too much. Next camp is awesome. Amazing beach, rocks, caves. Stinky Sealions. Hot sun. Wine. Food. Clouds come… Shit! Rain. Damn it! Everything into tent. Pouring. Praise $40 waterproof tent from Warehouse(Like Walmart… bad, I know). Boil big pot of noodles in middle of tent. Wine kicks in. Tip over pot, spills on Linds’ arm… screams, cries… FU*&%K!!!. Throw Linds a towel, watch her wipe arm skin right off… not good!! Crisis management mode in full effect, try to make all better. Eat remains of noodles in pot. Rains all night. Wake. Coffee. Curse bloodthirsty sandflies. Boat picks up Kayak… says weather will be 40 knot winds with rain the next 2 days…. decide not to hike next 2 days. Hop on next boat back to civilization.
Few days pass. Forecast looking clear and sunny for 4 days. Decide to hike in from top of park down coast. Sun shining. Beautiful day. Breathtaking vistas. Aqua blue water. Wind picks up. Find nice beach to camp on. Pick yummy mussels off rocks. Get chased by smelly sealion family. Ominous clouds hovering. WTF? Sprinkles. Rain. Damn it… everything into tent. Eat. Draw picture of cow with a big Mustache… get it? “Mo” instead of “Moo”. Laugh a lot. Boil water far from Linds’ arm. Fear high tide. Move tent up to grass. Wake to sun. Coffee. Hear most insane bird song ever… beat boxing bird. Hike out. Drive to Mussel Inn and drink beer. The End.
Click to make bigger
The waves were shit so Brown and I decided to go run around for 3 days in the mountains behind Mt. Fyffe in Kaikoura. Good times. It was what the Kiwi’s call a “Route”, which means there are just some trail markers every once in a while to tell you that you’re headed in the right direction. Basically you blaze your own trail up the mountain, river, valley etc…
This route took us up a wide river bottom with tons of river crossings and rock hopping up a canyon to one of over 900 of NZ’s famed Back Country Huts. Some huts are basic, some are posh. Our first one had 6 bunks, a wood stove and plenty of fresh rain water. Brown brought his trusty iPhone and we laughed our asses off to the new season of South Park… if you haven’t seen the episode with the Japanese whale/dolphin killers then you are missing a good laugh. Next day we woke to rain and it was cold… so cold that as we made our way up to the saddle, where rivers started on either side, it was dumping snow. Bad situation. Not prepared. I was in surf trunks with a plastic trash bag over my pack. Almost froze walking up the river, trudging right through it with shoes and all, no trail, just up and up and up into the icy river and slippery rocks. Dumping! Everything white. Snow starting to cover all the trail markers. Damn! I thought about the situations people get themselves into that make it possible for TV’s shows like “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” to go into production. Would I lose some fingertips or a few toes to frostbite? Would we have to make shelter under some rock and eat squirrels until the storm passes? Would I have to eventually eat Brown or would he have to eat me? Should we go back? Nah.. screw it, let’s just keep going higher up this steep river canyon with no trail in the snow. It’s only supposed to be 6 hours to the next hut. We’re young enough… and dumb enough.
Up to the top of the saddle and back down to the next hut. Made it in record time. Cool to see where 2 rivers literally started. Was happy to see plenty of dry firewood outside on the front porch. Took us a while to thaw out. Got the stove blazing, all our gear and clothes hanging up, hot enough to run around in chones. Hot food and more South Park on the menu for the night. Warm sleeping bag. Nobody around.
Woke to bluebirds. Long hike down river. Sunny, warm. Plenty of waterfalls and snowcapped mountain views… the stuff that’s good for the mind, body and the soul. Long walk down to main road. Thumb out for 2 seconds and we get picked up and front door service right back to The Van. Ice cold beer? Yes please, and then let’s go find some surf.
As of now, it’s been over 2 months since I’ve gotten any good waves. I’m gonna lose my mind sometime in the very near future if this dry streak continues. It’s been cold, rainy, windy and shitty surf all around. Here’s my advice to anybody planning a surf trip in New Zealand in the Spring: DON’T.
After picking up Mr. Brown in Auckland, we headed South in search of barrels…. we drove WAY too many kilometers, took the ferry across the Cook Straight to the South Island, then we picked Matlock and drove WAY too many more kilometers in search of big, good surf. But it was good to hang with the boys, camping, surfing, laughing, hiking, drinking, and cooking some mean dinners…
Brown enjoying Double Brown Beer
Some fun ones
Beach camp bonfire
Wildlife
Paua or Abalone as we know it in the states, it’s everywhere here
A Glacier
(Please sing out loud to the tune of Gilligan’s Island… just do it)
“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship.
The mate was a hairy Frenchy woman,
The skipper smelly for sure.
Five passengers set sail that day
For a 384 hour tour, a 384 hour tour.
The weather started getting rough,(54 knots in the face!)
The tiny ship was tossed,
If not for the courage of the showerless crew
The Star Dust would be lost, the Star Dust would be lost.
The ship was towed ashore of this fully charted Kiwi isle
With AaaAAbelllll,
The Skipper too,
The grubby kiiiiiids and the wife,
No movie star
No professor or Mary Ann(Damn it!),
Here on The Crossing From Hell…
So this is the tale of the insanity,
They’re at sea for a long, long time,
They’ll have to make the best of things,
It’s an uphill climb.
The first mate and the Skipper too,
Will do their very best,
To make the others UNcomfortable,
In this patience test,
No fuel, no fridge no motor coolant,
Not a single luxury,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
As primitive as can be.
So be cautious of the French my friends,
And you’re sure to live in style,
From Tonga back to Kiwi land in 20 insane days,
Here on the Crossing from Helllllll…“
Where do I begin? I guess first of all, it’s damn good to be back on solid ground and it’s damn good to be alive! After leaving the Vava’u Group on “Nola”, we spent a few days in the Hapai islands, got barrels at one of the shallowest and sketchiest spot I’ve ever surfed, and ended up having to sail down to the main island of Tongatapu to pick up supplies, and so there I decided to deboard “Nola” in the rancid Tongatapu Harbor with a sniffle and a tear in my eye and watch Sam and Panapa sail back up to Hapai for the Sustainable Coastlines Beach Clean-up. I had to get back to NZ in time to pick up Brown. My new home on the sea was aboard the… Graine D’Etoile (French for: Star Dust) I was looking at 7-10 days max at sea and I’d be back in Kiwi land but little did I know, it would be another 20 days before I would step off onto New Zealand Soil and finally be able to retrieve my sanity…
Mission: Crew on a sailboat from Tonga back to New Zealand
Distance from Port Tongatapu to Port Opua: Over 1100 Nautical Miles
Common Time Frame: 7-10 days sailing
Vessel: Graine D’Etoile, 42′ Sloop. French style, no keel and just a few movable centerboards.
Crew: Captain-Michel, 1st Mate-Anne, 2 Kids-Gaya(6) & Lilou(10)…French…and myself
Personal Blue Water Sailing Experience: None
I decided to keep a journal of the voyage…
Oct 12th: Left “Nola”… sad times… She was loaded with propane and fuel on deck, looked liked floating bomb. On “Star Dust” now with nice French Fam…. Waiting on weather and port authorities to head back to NZ. 7-10 day sail. Should be fun! …eat burger and fries thinking it’s my last for a while… boat is a mess, find out that auto pilot is broken, shit. might leave tomorrow AM.
Oct 13th: Eaten alive by Mosquitoes in my cabin last night… Not leaving today either. Steel cable on mast broke, must replace… raining… eat another burger thinking it’s my last for a while… scrape algae off water line of hull… leak in my cabin, mattress soaked… wake up in middle of night to captain sawing plastic bottles to put on ropes to stop rats from coming on board. Might leave tomorrow if mast fixed. Auto pilot fixed!
Oct 14th: Not leaving today. Visa is now out of date by a few days, should have been gone by now. Spend 3 hours in immigration line for extension… refuse to give my passport back, captain must come and get it next day… dock for fuel and water… waiting on customs and port authority… Eat another burger thinking its my last for a while… weather window is now, looking good to leave tomorrow.
Oct 15th: Eat burger… it is my last!!! Finally left port today! Anchor at offshore island… get dive gear on and scrape rest of barnacles off hull… might gain an extra knot of speed now!
Set sail through reefs and out to open ocean! Finally! 15 knots on the beam from the East, beautiful day… good bye Tonga! Auto pilot broken after all.. have to steer for over 1000 miles with rear oar rudder… fun.
Oct 16th: Sailed all day and night… my watches are 3am-6am, 2pm-6pm and 8pm-9pm…switch off cooking and dishes… Love sailing!
Shit nowhere near the fan… yetOct 17th: Haven’t spewed yet… amazing, feeling good… sunset and stars on morning watch were insane! eat lots of crackers and cheese… practice knots… headed for Minerva Reefs for a few days to wait out bad winds… have to stop boat and bob around, wait for light to find reef pass.
Oct 18th: Is today Sunday? Who knows… clouds rolled in on night watch.. sprinkles… could see other boat lights inside of reef… anchor in giant circular atoll with one reef pass… beautiful water… glassy lagoon in side… looks like we’re here until the 22nd… shit. 3 other boats waiting too.
Sheet glass in the middle of the Pacific, Minerva Reef
Oct 19th, Monday: Beauty of a day… no wind, hot sun… dove all day with a ton of white tip sharks… so streamlined… giant sting rays, spotted Morey eel, some great coral heads, looks like Finding Nemo …crazy colors and creatures… spearfished with sling, nailed 3 in about 5 minutes flat… dinner! Michel got a giant clam to eat… turned out to be gross… big fruit lunch… moved anchor…dead glass in the middle of the pacific! Lemon, onion and garlic roasted fish din din…Life is good!
Oven ready along with his 3 brothers
Oct 20th, Tuesday: 6 yr old Gaya thinks she is a white tiger, has weird purring noise… kinda weird…left Minerva today! weather got better, all boats left the reef… NZ Bomber plane 200 feet above water patrolling… got all info from all boats… number onboard, nationalities, port of entries in NZ etc… trip looking longer that expected.
Oct 21st, Wednesday: Cold night watch… what the hell? have to wear pants, socks and beanie for first time in 4 months. rough seas. hugged boardbag all night… wind too South… everybody feeling queasy… pasta and soup… 700 miles to go… would kill for: icecream, bowl of musilie, steak, coffee, real milk, beer… been on a boat for over a month total now… missing the Nola lifestyle.
Inspirational socks courtesy of the DDC
Oct 22nd, Thursday: Mindblowing meteor shower on night watch… 1-2 per minute for an hour… best I’ve seen, leaving long trails… intense bio-luminecese in water tripping me out… who slipped the acid in my drink? …wind died… motoring now… made good stew for dinner… Gaya spilled it all over herself and boat… boat becoming really gross… wish we had fridge and more fruit…
Sunset on the high seas
Oct 23rd, Friday: Genoa sail ripped.. have to take down and repair.. wind is shit… motoring again… can’t poop….heavy rain on horizon.
Oct 24th, Saturday: Shooting stars are insane again… ominous clouds… rain gear on… but no rain.. just want to sleep to make time go by faster… awesome sunrise… raining… sails up again.. over it… kitchen is repulsive… laxatives not working… I’m seriously clogged…lame… beard is getting out of control…cold and rainy… sails up… wind died… pull out Richer Drifter sail for light winds… doesnt work. Going nowhere.
Oct 25th, Sunday: good sunrise… motoring, sheet glass, like oil…check fuel level, almost out…WHAT THE FUCK! why the hell didn’t they top up the tanks??? Bob all day like cork.. spinning in circles… distance: 2 miles… bad storm coming our way…10 more hours of solid motoring and we would miss it… just 25 liters would do it… Have flashback of Captain putting empty 25 liter gas can in boat at harbor and me saying: “Don’t you want to fill that up?” Captain: “Ah nah, we won’t need it!” I say, “Famous last words!” It’s like driving across the states and not filling up your car when you go to the gas station… fucking ridiculous… my 10 day no alcohol and no caffiene cleanse goes out the window… find dregs of Panamanian rum… have rum and coke in sun… no more alcohol on boat… man-o-wars and crazy jellies EVERYWHERE.. no swimming… see some birds. Waiting for wind. Toothpaste almost gone.
Oct 26th, Monday: Froze my pecker off on night watch. Wind all day today… make good progress…bearing 180º – 200º. Caught a tuna today… fresh sushi at sunset, yum! Weather suppossed to get nasty… been on this boat 2 weeks today. Should have been in NZ days ago.
Sushi Dinner
Oct 27th, Tuesday: Weather is completely FUCKED! 40-50 knots on the nose…highest clocked was 54 knots… sea turned into a crazy mess… just froth…. big rips in main, have to sew… wind wrong… storm jib out.. electric compass malfunctioning… going East now… WTF? Have semi-sleep mightmares of Gilligan’s Island episodes where I’m Gilligan but Mary Anne and Ginger are nowhere in sight… instead just a hairy french family…
Oct 28th, Wednesday: I finally spewed… Anne’s been spewing all night… haven’t slept in way too long, getting tossed around cabin all night and day… bathroom repulsive… everybody smells… no appetite… Wheatabix and cornflakes… why are we still going east, need to go west… fixing main sail again…leak in room… get me off this damn ship!
Feeling great!
Oct 29th, Thursday: Not making progress… can’t beat wind, tacking on SAME coarse back and forth…days wasted… hoist main sail, forget to untie, rip it to absolute shit… aarggghghhhhhh… sewing sewing sewing… only about 150 miles to go… soo close… will this ever end?
Oct 30th, Friday: Shitty night.. rough seas.. no sleep… rear floor board has leak.. bail bucket every hour.. moving in good direction again… wind stops dead… pass another boat by few hundred yards, didn’t see it.. could have been bad… captain decides we need to try to motor and we might have more fuel than thought… a full day and night motor and we could be in Manganui, NZ to find fuel to get to Opua for Port of Entry…we all stink and so does the boat… no shower since Minerva Reef… living in same cloths… motoring in straight line to NZ though!!! 48 miles to go! Beautiful Albatross drowned on hook while trolling today… bummer… another rip in the main sail are you fucking kidding me??? now? Lot’s of cursing… strong wind in face again.. can’t motor more than 2 knots… see other boat lights… frozen… hopefully get to wake up and see land! So close…
Oct 31st, Halloween: Wake up in middle of night to pissed off arguing French couple, tools clanking, lots of running around, no more sound of engine… just cover head with pillow and try to go to my happy place… I don’t even want to know what’s wrong this time… soo close…
LAND HO!!! Wake up at dawn to see the beautiful sunny NE coast of NZ today!!! What an amazing feeling that was! hadn’t seen land for over 2 weeks… could smell it in the air…I can’t wait to be in charge of what happens in my day again, where I go, what I do, what I eat… light winds taking us NE to Doubtless Bay… just take my anywhere.. fuck quarantine, fuck port of entry, fuck customs… thinking of just paddling my surfboard to shore and running for the hills… then wind stops …OH MY GOD!!! Come ooooooon!!!.. tacking in circles… can hear radio chatter.. see boats, just 10 miles from the bay… captain is still working on engine… Saltwater cooling system broke that night, big leak, engine overheated.. FUCK… captain relays our situation on radio… he refuses an offer for a tow into port… thinks he can fix engine… no wind, ripped sails, no engine… and you don’t want a tow???… entertain thoughts of Mutany… maybe just a quick push over the side, nah he’d just swim back, we’re not moving… knife to the gut? Frying pan to the dome? Bound and gagged and thrown into the slothpit that is the bathroom then radio for help? yes, yes that’s it… get a grip man… remain calm… deep breaths.. 1…. 2… 3… exhale… repeat… try to talk some sense into the situation… the wife is on my side… wait what’s that on the horizon? A ship coming our way… get binocs.. read: CUSTOMS on side… WOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOO… “Hello, we heard you on the radio and were in the area, do you need a FREE tow into Manganui? We’ll have quarantine and immigration drive up from Opua to clear you guys at the port so you can enter NZ here” (Classic Kiwi hospitality) Captain: “Hmmm… thank you for the offer, but can you give me 10 minutes, I think I can fix the engine.” MOTHER F$#@%&$##$$$K%%$#@R!!!!!!!!!!???????? … deep red veil fades across my vision… try talk some sense… he decides to get the tow… red veil lifted! Life suddenly OK again… Arrive in port, use head while waiting to get cleared by customs, sunglasses fall in toilet, awesome! grab boards and backpack, walk 2 km to main road, make big sign on cardboard: “KUMEU OR AUCKLAND PRETTY PLEASE”… talk Maori art with cool Maori dude down to Keri Keri, stuff my face with fresh fruit at fruit stand, thumb out again… hop in tiny rental car with 71 year old dude with a lead foot and a motor mouth… “I failed the eye sight test ya know! Shouldn’t really be driving… I live in the phillipines now, retired… pub crawls every damn day… young cute girls sucking your dick for 3 bucks at the clubs… I get a new girl to hang around the house every few months… it’s great…they’re not prude over there either… A few years ago on my birthday I walked into a club and I told a girl I’m 69 today and that’s what I wanted to do to her… my daughter doesn’t talk to me anymore… all my friends are dropping like flys… “ white knuckles for 3 hours straight… so this is how it’s going to end for me eh? After all I just went through? I’m going to be scraped off the pavement at some hair-pin turn… no way… not now… almost rear end every car in front of us… “here’s good, thanks man” … 11pm…soooo close… make a call… Rebeka to the rescue…dressed as a good witch…WTF? Halloween right… get back to The Farm …peel off clothes… sterilize myself in first hot shower in 4 months… eat king size bowl of Musilie, bananas, strawberries, yogurt and fresh milk… drift to sleep in bed that doesn’t move… and there’s a nice tree outside the window.
Mission: Complete
Total Duration on Star Dust: 20 Days
Shooting Stars Observed: Had to be well intot he hundreds
Fish Caught: 5 (+1 Albatross)
Weight Lost: At least 10 pounds, I’m a skinny little bitch
Lessons: Learned
All in all, it could have been a lot worse, my life was never in any real danger, we didn’t hit anything or catch fire and now that it’s over, it’s like it never happened. And the French family wasn’t all that bad, they were really nice and we had some good banter about how much of a fuck up Bush was, life and the stars. Michel and Anne, if you read this, please don’t take it personally, it’s all in good fun. OK…On to the next adventure… South Island New Zealand barrels here I come…
Just had to throw in this Tongan beauty for good measureBeen slacking on the blog… Mostly because our house got robbed and my Mac Book Pro (aka: My job) got swiped with my iPod and sunglasses as well as a bunch of other stuff from my roommates. And the bastards took a giant shit on the lawn outside the window they got into. Damn turd burglers! So I’ve been a little bitter lately. Just been surfing a bunch and trying to forget about all the design files and music I’ll never see again. Lesson learned: ALWAYS BACK-UP. Guess you gotta roll with the punches. Surfing always seems to help sort things out though…
