Latest Update: September 9, 2001 by Ben Marcus

11:10 ALASKA TIME SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2001 THE DORMS AT VALDEZ COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Where am I? Oh, I'm sleeping on a couch in the dorm room that belongs to Probation. It's clean and well lighted. Well, the carpet is dirty but the rest of it is okay and it's well- lighted because the sun is up and the sky is blue.

There's a Robert de Niro/Jane Fonda movie called Stanley and Iris on the TV.

Not sure where Watch Cap or Probation are. Probation's room-mate went to work on a tourist boat today, going out to the Columbia Glacier.

Last night I got canned from the Fish Processing Plant, which is a good thing. From the Pipeline Bar I went over at around 23:00 to get my blankets, because I was going to sleep here anyway. Big Mike the Security Guy saw me pull up and barked, "You're done here. So don't leave your shit around."

I said, "Okay, that's a tragedy." And went up to get my blankets.

The Turks are probably wondering if they still have a ride to Anchorage. They do. I'll hang here and work for the next few days, then we can all leave on Thursday. I'm sure those guys all want to be fired, too. The place sucks and it cost me a fortune: all my DVDs and a pair of sunglasses. Great.

On TV, Jane Fonda just got her purse stolen and she is pissed. I know how she feels.

So what now? No more cutting fish. The Tidal Bore is still on and I'll be limping up there with almost no money, and then I have to figure out how to get out of Alaska.

I'm looking forward to getting back down to Montana and all those places in the fall; I just hope I can get there.

Got a few e-mails this morning. One was from John Markel, a Girdwood person who has been advising me on all this.

In a message dated 9/9/2001 9:28:39 AM Pacific Daylight Time, johnmarkel@hotmail.com writes:

Ben

A cheap way to wire your crew for sound would be to use $25.00 pocket tape recorders from costco and waterproof bags from REI $10.

POSSIBLY.

I HAVE ONE OF THOSE TAPE RECORDERS IN THE VAN. NOT SURE IF IT WORKS.

I'VE GONE THROUGH ABOUT 30 OF THOSE THINGS DURING MY TIME AT SURFER.

THERE ARE MORE HIGH-TECH WAYS TO DO THAT, I'M SURE, BUT THAT MIGHT HAVE TO DO.

The bore surfing in TA has been filmed for TV about a dozen times now, Every

production has sent one camera with no budget and they always get shit footage shot from the below the road.

NOT GOOD. IT DESERVES BETTER.

The problem is that in order to focus on the surfers they use telephoto equipment that cuts out the surrounding scene,

NOT GOOD. (SEE ABOVE)

if they shoot wide they end up with a few specks on the water. The surfers could be anywhere. It needs to be shot from multiple angles, especially an aerial, and also a camera man in front of the on-coming wave,

YEP. I KNOW ALL THAT. THERE ARE LOTS AND LOTS OF POSSIBLE ANGLES THERE: FROM THE TOP OF THE TRAM, FROM A MOVING BOAT, MAYBE EVEN FROM THE SURFER'S PERSPECTIVE.

THAT'S WHY I AM TRYING TO PITCH THE TV SHOW, IT WOULD ALLOW ALL THAT TO BE DONE PROPERLY.

some POV would also be good.

YEP. CAMERA HELMET.

CURT AND ERIC HAVE ALL THAT STUFF, BUT THEY AREN'T COMING.

MAYBE MARK ALFARO COULD BORROW IT FROM THEM AND BRING IT UP WITH HIM.

A CAMERA HELMET WOULD BE GREAT.

MARK? ERIC? CURT? CAN WE BORROW SOME GEAR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS????

CONSIDER IT RENUNMERATION FOR THE HELP ON WHIPPED!!! Y

OU COULD USE THE FOOTAGE IN YOUR NEXT PRODUCTION.

ABC is likely to only send you a camera for one session,

THAT IS CORRECT.

t hey will need a lot of luck to get anything worthwhile.

YEP.

You should have cameras at every session. How many mini DV cameras with waterproof cases are available?

TO ME? NONE.

NOT SURE IF COLIN OR MARK ARE BRINGING ANYTHING.

I THOUGHT ERIC NELSON AND CURT MYERS WERE COMING UP AND THAT WOULD HAVE WORKED BECAUSE THEY HAVE LOTS OF CAMERAS, BUT I GUESS THEY AREN'T COMING NOW.

ALL I HAVE IS A BEAULIEU SUPER 8 MOVIE CAMERA, WHICH IS FUNKY BUT I MIGHT USE IT ANYWAY, JUST FOR THE HECK OF IT.

THE GRAIN OF IT IS KIND OF COOL

With a few minutes of good footage we could sell the round the world bore tide ride, I know the perfect victim for this production.

OH? WHOM?

I may be able to get a couple of waterproof DV camera set-ups, and shooters. It would naturally be important to own what ever footage results.

NO PROBLEM IF YOU WANT TO OWN THE FOOTAGE.

IF WE GET GOOD STUFF I'LL CONTACT CNN IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THEY'LL PROBABLY USE IT. I'D BE SURPRISED IF THEY DIDN'T. THEY LOVE WEIRD SURFING STUFF.

AND I'LL TRY TO FIND A SURF VIDEO MAKER WHO WANTS TO USE IT.

I'M LOW ON DOUGH SO IF YOU FINANCE MOST OF THIS, YOU KEEP THE FOOTAGE AND YOU GET THE DOUGH FROM CNN OR WHOEVER.

I MIGHT ASK TO USE SOME OF THE FOOTAGE TO PITCH THE TV SHOW AND/OR THAT BORE-O-CROSS IDEA.

I JUST WANT THIS BORE RIDE TO LOOK IMPRESSIVE AND BE FILMED IMPRESSIVELY.

LET ME KNOW.

KNOW ANYONE WITH A HARD-BOTTOMED INFLATABLE BOAT?

ANGLES

FROM UP ONE OF THE POWER POLES (YOU DO IT!)
FROM THIRD PARKING LOT LOOKING UP THE LINE
FROM BIRD POINT LOOKING DOWN THE LINE
FROM EACH OF THE PARKING LOTS AS IT MOVES PAST
FROM A MOVING CAR, ALONGSIDE THE WAVE
FROM THE TOP OF THE TRAM, AN OVERVIEW
FROM UP THE SIDE OF THE HILL, AS IT MOVES PAST
FROM A HELICOPTER
FROM A BOAT MOVING ALONGSIDE.
FROM THE SHORE AT WATER LEVEL
FROM THE OPPOSITE SHORE AT WATER LEVEL
FROM THE SURFER'S POV
FROM THE OTHER SURFER'S POV.

THAT'S WHY I AM TRYING TO ORGANIZE ALL THIS, AND BLOW IT UP INTO SOMETHING MORE ELABORATE.

IT WOULD BE FUN TO DO CORRECTLY.

John

So, maybe all this sound and fury and e-mailing is for nothing. We'll see. After all the Fish Processing and getting ripped off, it will be nice to do something productive. Anything.

I also got some feedback on the Santa Cruz story from Karen and Christina. Karen told a pretty funny story about getting hassled by a "local" at Insides a couple of summers ago.

It's 14:17 and I'm watching Cool Hand Luke on the TV. I went by Nautilus a little earlier to talk to the Turks. They didn't come over. I guess I'm poison now, I don't know, or maybe they just wanted to eat.

Some other Mexican guys came over and it looks like I might be giving four or five of them a ride to Anchorage on Wednesday, then driving all the way back the same day to take the Turks on Thursday. I think I can do all that driving in a day.

Is it worth it? For a measly $100. Maybe. It just gives me something to do, I guess. And it's just a pretty spectacular drive between here and there.

I hope the weather holds up.

So now it's 14:20 and it's a beautiful day and I think I'll go outside and sit in the sun and work.

I bought some groceries this morning and did some dishes and am trying to make myself useful so they'll let me stay here until early Wednesday morning. If I'm allowed, I'll leave all my gear here in the extra room and that will free up room for all the riders on Wednesday and Thursday. I guess that means I'll come back through here on the way out, but that's okay.

A lot of driving. I'd better change the oil.

It's 14:40 and Cool Hand Luke is eating 50 eggs. "It'll give me something to do," he said. I know how he feels. "Eighteen to go."

As for me, well I'm just spiraling ever-closer to the bottom. Ike is okay though. Don't you worry about him, no not even a little bit.

Cool Hand Luke is on the run, in a church talking to God: "What do you have in mind for me? What do I do now? I'm on my knees asking."

That's what I have been wondering lately. This movie is imitating reality. The crew in the jail with Luke are like the guys in the Fish Processing Plant.

20:30 ALASKA TIME SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2001 THE DORMS IN VALDEZ

Did I say that the guys at the Fish Processing Plant were like the bad guys in Cool Hand Luke? They kind of are.

Earlier today I went to talk to the Turks and Big Mike was all over me. This guy is even bigger than Art Brewer, and I learned my lesson with him.

He told me I was trespassing and he was gonna call the cops and I told him what a great security guard he was and that he probably stole my DVDs and he didn't like that very much and he threatened to bash my teeth in. I don't think I backed down, I don't know. As I was leaving he was leaning up against the wall and eating and I suggested he not eat so much and called him a "white trash piece of shit." He didn't like that much either.

I do have a 12 gauge in the car with rifled slugs and I think that might stop him. Maybe. He's an ogre. I'll try to get a photo of him.

I did my laundry and went to the Police Station and asked a cop to drive over there with me so I could get my TV from Gus. I figured that thing would disappear pretty quick.

The cop asked me a few questions and asked Mike a few questions and then I went up there to get it with the cop. The Bug Eyed Boss Fella was up there and the cop wondered if I were stealing someone else's TV and Ray said I probably wasn't, and that was that.

I left a note for Gus with the Big Cook telling him I wanted my $60 and my boots before I left.

So, that was that for the Fish Processing Plant. I'll try not to shoot Big Mike, but if he charges me he's going to have knee problems.

I actually unsheated the 12 gauge and took off the trigger lock. I don't think this guy would charge me like a grizzly bear and I don't think I'd actually shoot him, but you never know. I can go rifled slug, pellets, rifled slug, pellets and maybe that will slow him down.

I should have bought the bear spray and the cattle prod.

Anyway, despite Big Mike's intrusion I connected with the Turks and the other guys and I'm going to take a batch of guys to Anchorage on Wednesday and then come back and take the Turks on Thursday, then do the Tidal Bore thing and then drive back down through Canada and Montana and after that, I don't know what.

I think I'm going to sleep with the van tonight because who knows where that guy lives and I don't feel comfortable not being with the van.

I may let some of the other guys drive on Wednesday so I can sleep on the way there, and then have the energy to drive back. That's going to be a lot of driving, but I have nothing better to do, really.

It's always fun to be on the road in Alaska.

Now we're in the dorm watching Chinatown. I have two days to kill here, but I have lots of work to do. While driving around today the ending to the Santa Cruz article popped into my head, so that was good.

It's 21:05 and the snow-covered mountains are right out the window and we're watching Chinatown and Matt the Other Roommate is making some dinner. I think he's wondering who all these people are in his living room.

I guess I was just a disruptive influence at Nautilus Foods. When I was working there, I worked as hard as anyone. I just didn't like working there. It's horrible. I've done horrible jobs that were fun, but this place is just horrible.

Screw it. Just hope Big Mike doesn't try anything stupid. I'd hate to shoot him and he'd probably hate to be shot.

I wonder what a 12 gauge rifled slug would do to a guy that size?

NAUTILUS FOODS
P.O. BOX 727
VALDEZ, AK 99868
Phone: (907) 835-4227
Fax: (907) 835-426