Latest
Update: June
16, 2001 by Ben Marcus
13:14
SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2001 SISTER-IN-LAW JANE'S COMPUTER, LYNNWOOD,
WASHINGTON
Here
is the scoop on Ike the Cat (He's black and white, like Greg Noll's
famous striped trunks, so his nickname is, of course, Da Cat),
in a back and forth e-mail between me and Laura Noll. MY RESPONSES
ARE IN ALL CAPS.
Hello
Ben: Yes he was allowed in the house, in fact when Ashlyne had
him in Santa Rosa he was not allowed outside.
WOMEN
ARE WEIRD THAT WAY WITH CATS, I'VE LEARNED. THEY'RE AFRAID TO
LET THEM GO OUTDOORS. MEN ARE MORE TRUSTING. I TRUST IKE. SO FAR,
SO GOOD. WHEN I GOT TO MY BROTHER'S YESTERDAY, IKE WAS NOWHERE
TO BE SEEN AND EVERYONE WAS PANICKING. BUT I KNEW HE'D SHOW UP
AROUND DARK. HE DID.
When
he came here he wouldn't go outside at all it was like he had
that disease where people are afraid to go out.
I'VE
HAD THAT DISEASE ALL MY LIFE.
I
would take him out to be in the sunshine and he wouldn't like
it at all. I had one other cat then. We had a dog Koa that he
really liked, and he started going out in the yard a little when
we got him.
HE'S
A VERY PERSONABLE CAT.
He
and the other cat tolerated each other, but werent good pals.
Koa died when he was about 2 years old, and Ike became the dog.
He stated going outside all the time, he'd follow you around the
yard, meet you at the gate when you came home and started chasing
the other cat.
I
CAN SEE HIM DOING THAT. HE'S AN EXCELLENT CAT.
Then
I got a persian cat for Christmas in 1999, and Ike didn't like
that at all, and then the dog Kahu followed shortly after. He
wasn't excited at all the new fur. He began staying out all night,
and would love to still follow you around the yard, but felt uneasy
around the dog. The persian didn't like either cat in the house
with her, so she would chase them out.
THOSE
PERSIANS. SPOILED ROTTEN.
Pretty
soon Ike would go into the garage and stay there. I felt so sorry
for him, but he just didn't want to be in the house any more.
Before you took him he got along with Kahu very well, they would
sleep together outside, and he would rub against him. He has always
been very affectionate.
HE
IS VERY AFFECTIONATE INDEED. HE LIKES EVERYBODY.
I
can only remember him catching a few critters, but being very
proud when he did. That's the story of Ike.
WE'RE
ON OUR WAY TO MONTANA TOMORROW. YOU CAN READ ABOUT OUR ADVENTURES
AT WWW.SACKLUNCH.COM. I'LL LET IKE WRITE PARTS OF IT.
Don't
know if you heard but Jay Moriarity died in a dive accident yesterday.
I
HEARD. UNBELIEVABLE.
A
very sad tragedy. He and Pinch were very good friends and Pinch
is still in shock, he was here working on boards with Greg when
we heard. It sounds like all of Santa Cruz is in mourning. I still
can't believe it. Life is very fragile.
YES
INDEED. I'VE BEEN SAYING THAT I WISH I WERE AS GOOD A HUMAN BEING
AS IKE IS A CAT. JAY IS AS GOOD A HUMAN BEING AS IKE IS A CAT.
VERY PERSONABLE-FRIENDLY AND AGGRESSIVE AT THE SAME TIME. IKE
IS A HUNTER. SO IS JAY. A TRAGEDY. BUT DIVING ALONE IS NEVER A
GOOD IDEA, AND REALLY BREAKS ONE OF THE CARDINAL RULES OF DIVING.
ESPECIALLY IN A PLACE LIKE THE MALDIVES. THANKS FOR THE SCOOP
ON IKE. HE'S ABOUT TO BE A ROAD WARRIOR.
That
was my back and forth with Laura Noll, and what I said about Jay
and Ike is true. Jay really was one of the best people I'd ever
known. No ego, just pure surf stoke and a hell of a lot of talent
and guts. He got me thinking about my connection to Pleasure Point,
and that got me thinking about the good old days, when I was as
surf stoked as anyone, and Pleasure Point was our oyster. Maybe
that's why I'm depressed all the time. I had such a good time
surfing in the 70s and into the 80s, and nothing else has really
compared.
I'm
at brother Dan's now and fixing to go. I slept in because I watched
two good movies last night: La Femme Nikita (the original French
movie) and then L.A. Confidential, which was edited for TV but
still a really, really good movie. That was the first time I'd
seen Russel Crowe, and I was surprised when I found out he was
Australian. The same for Guy Pearce. L.A. Confidential is one
of those perfect movies where they get everything right: casting,
dialogue, story, the works.
So
now I've got to hit the road and head for Montana. Already running
late. Locatelli and Metiver are probably out of there tomorrow,
so I missed them. I wonder if Mike knows about Jay. Locatelli
runs the O'Neil Surf shop in Santa Cruz, where Jay's wife Kim
works. I have heard that all of Pleasure Point is in mourning,
and it makes me want to be there. I sent an e-mail to Evan saying
I would like to write Jay's eulogy for Surfing Magazine. Evan
is trying to bring up the level of writing in Surfing, and I think
I could do Jay justice.
And
Jay was my second choice to go on the Kamchatka trip, after Brock.
There is a message on his phone machine, asking him if he wants
to go. Shit.
That's
it for now. I'm lagging. It's time to hit the road.
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