i’m not the one
that you’ll be shooting for
i’m not the one
who’s coming back for more
- cars

Sure, Rutabaga is a big place. Yet, you’d not know it if you were spending the evening with all the people who make it fly. Sitting in a living room stuffed with smiling happy faces you get a much better feel for the shop. It’s not so much a business as a communal endeavor. Darren Bush, co-owner along with Jeff Weidman would be the first to tell you that’s so. And it seems at every occasion, he does. He’s not a guy who wants to be exalted, he’d rather just play his roll as part of the team. It would sound cliché if you didn’t know Darren. In many ways I think he just takes joy in helping to provide an fun way of life for a bunch of paddlers. I really like Darren. I’m sure you would too. ( do I get a raise now??)

Later this week we’ll be talking about the “Crossing The Ditch” expedition coming up in January, Looking at different ways to pull off a bow rudder, and who knows what else. Well, another work week is upon us. For my part I’ll be back on the high seas hunting down those pirates. Thing about pirates. . one minute their there. . . the next minute they disappear without a trace.

So today is the annual Rutabaga Staff Christmas Party. Rutabaga is of course where I teach and are the organizers behind Canoecopia and the Door County Sea Kayak Symposium. Instructors aren’t technically “staff” but they invite us anyway because they feel sorry for us. (well me anyway). Of course the main reason the guys go of course is to fawn around Megan. . . Oh, and speaking of which. . .

The picture above is of two of the other instructors, JB and Silbs posing by our stuff. You’ll notice we all have our NDKs on top and our vanity plates on proud display.

And with that bit of blather, I need to go check on a ham. . .

oh, and did you notice there were like 3 posts yesterday? Sometimes I just won’t shut up!!

Yippee! I got my 2007 Reed Catalogue today. Wow, Freya, you’re all over the place! Be sure to go to page 10 to see the a couple new products for those of us with a Greenland personality. Now you all know I’d been bugging Chris to make me an Akuilisaq, while unknown to me Freya Hoffmeister had become a Reed Sponsored kayaker and was also talking to Reed about new Greenland products as well. Well, the new Akuilisaq and Gauntlets made the new catalog on page 10. Cool. Now, I wonder what he’s going to say when I ask for a little customization on my Akuilisaq. I have a plan for a hybrid. So stay tuned. Until then check out the new Catalog and be sure to tell them how happy you are to see new traditional gear in that fantastic Aquatherm fabric. Oh, and check out the BCU member discount as well! Thanks Chris!!

Happy Birthday Mary!

Lay back. Relax. Look deeply into my eyes. You are beginning to feel sleepy. . . . that drysuit’s a bit warm isn’t it??

You think I make this stuff up don’t you? Well, today was the day I came across the “Salty Dog Sea Kayak Webzine“. I was just browsing around the site and noticed some interesting and seemingly unrelated links to information on how Hypnosis would make my life better. I’m certainly not going to say anything negative about it. Just took me off guard, which by the way is easy to do at four-thirty in the morning. “Hypnosis for Kayakers“? Well, I had to click on that link, and low and behold there was a guy caught in a circle of flames. Which is exactly why I spend my time in the water. A deeply entrenched fear of spontaneous combustion! “Dynamic Mind Training” it said. I wonder if this is the break I need to finally pass Alex up and nail that straitjacket roll? “You will come up, you WILL come up. . .”, “I will come up. . . I will. . .”.

Now, all teasing aside the website is produced by John Petrocelli & Bob Huszar of New York. According to what I could find on the web, John is a respected Hypnotherapist and runs The NYC Hypnosis Center, and Bob is a free-lance writer and a registered nurse. He is also doing post-production work for film and TV at NYC’s Tape House. Bob was also co-co owner of the Manhattan Kayak Company. There is a lot of good information there although at times I did click something that took me back to more hypnosis information. Notably the “photo gallery” link. But it’s worth a visit. really. But it might be a good idea to look away every few minutes and make sure you still have your clothes on. . .

* collage of images from “Hypnosis In Media“.