Inspiration of late...total stoke-ed-ness.

Eric Trine let me borrow his copy of Builders of the Pacific Coast and I found the Reader's Digest Practical Problem Solver book being thrown out by my neighbor. Both of these books have really shaped my life lately.

Book 1. Eric is a maker of things who sometimes paints, where I had pegged myself a painter who found interest in building things, but never really followed through. After browsing, and then reading this book, having my mind blown, and God giving me what feels like a huge smiling nod, I quit all of my art jobs and am now repairing and painting my families commercial building, post surfing, under the Seal Beach sun (where my studio is, that my naval architect grandpa designed to look like a freakin' boat). As my best pal Earl and I are are doing this, we decided that this is what we want to do now. No more preparator work and stressing about my art "career". Earl is really good at making, building, etc. but I was always too busy painting to take him up on this awesome skill, but BAM, all things align. So we have since completely overhauled the family workshop in the boat building. The shop is usually used to store crap and build stretcher bars for paintings, and needed to be cleaned and organized to be fully functional. Earl has taken to grinding, oiling, de-rusting all tools and we are set to make (more of this on my next post). YES!!! We are ready to make and it is due in large part to going over this book and saying, I want to do this too. My favorite moment was when Earl said that we, with a ton of tools, a workshop, a desire, friends who are contractors who constantly are demoing and throwing away usable wood, (and I will add Earl's skills and my ability to be a helper monkey) would be assholes to look at this book, say "hey that's rad that those people do that" and not do it ourselves. Want us to build you a deck???


Book 2. This book is full of a million practical problem solving tips, shortcuts, etc. Cheaply acquired from Amazon, I totally suggest getting this book. It is helping me get out of post stoner 20's, suspended adolescence brain, and into early 30's, double dad mode that now knows how to quickly break up a dog fight, or deal with lost airline tickets. This may seem like a weird juxtaposition, but I need both more than I knew. I love it.

Thanks books.