Fame

 

 

 

... has always eluded me.  Not that I've ever pursued it with anything but the utmost disaffection. Tomorrow however, I will be a hitch-hiker ling cod chasing a small blue rock fish to the surface.  Why the sudden change of heart, you ask?  The specter of unemployment laid out before me (like a patient etherized upon a table), prods me into acts of utter extremity.  And so tomorrow, I will accompany the latest Travel Channel phenom in his fishing endeavors around SF Bay.  Posing as some kind of expert... when I know guys like Pete Anastole, Tran Vo (which one?) and King Lee know more about fishing than I could ever learn in six lifetimes.  But hey, I'm cuter than them.

Anyway, Sharky's probably wondering why I didn't get him involved in this... trooth is, I don't want to share Sharky with the world (sorry dood, yer mine).  Not until I can do it on my own terms--which hopefully some day I can do. I just don't want to see him interviewed by anyone but me.  I mean, HE GRABBED THE SHARK'S EYE.  He was in the mouth of a great white shark, 15 feet below the surface and he had the wherewithal to grab it's eye!!!!!

AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

A Hem.

Where was eye?

 

Right.  Can't give these travel channel guys all my tricks.  Just promise me, if I make an utter fool of myself on this show, you will all still love me.  Please?

 

 

 

A Rare (or do I do this alot?) Moment Of Self Reflection

 

 

It's been exactly one year since I started this blog.  I'm gonna tell you guys something.  I'm happy with it. I mean, some posts were better than others, but on the whole, looking back over the year... yeah... this is what I wanted it to be.  And if I only have 300 hits a day... great!  And if only 178 people are actually reading it, I don't care.  It reflects me perfectly.  I mean... not everything.  I mean, I'm not all about fishing--but then again neither is this blog.  Right?  One of my favorite posts was this one:

(To hell with it, they're all good)

My beautiful young wife is practicing the accordion right now, 9 feet away from me.  I just opened the door so I can hear her better.  Mexican Ranchero, Serbian, and now cajun... life is great! Wow she's really got "Chockek" down.  Bravo.  How wonderful life is!

 

 

To quote David Byrne: "This is not my beautiful wife"

 

 

I'd like to give some props to my monkeyface commentators:  Great comments all year.  I mean bravo y'all. "Finesmell," you rock!  Scott, you should be published.  Alan, the dark horse, always coming in here with a succinct and mysterious comment, Fontanelle 451... you make me slightly nervous with your fish wisdom and your obvious skills at turning a phrase... Northern Boy... holy shit.  Haven't heard from Northern Boy in a while... anyway.  You guys, and everyone else who has commented here, rock. Seriously tho.  It's not every fisherman who will tolerate pogey haiku, or movies about midshipmen or so much verbiage on Classic Movie Stars of the 1940s and fifties and all that unabashed smelthood... so I'd just like to say, (from the bottom of my bottom) thank you guys for tolerating my special breed of piscivorous insanity.

 

One Year!!!

Man. I can't actually believe I am still able to write on the subject of SF's fish and fisheries... but I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface!  I was just thinking about how wonderful shiners are.  What a wonderful creature.  How giving of themselves... totally selfless the way they offer their lives for bigger fishes.  And so resilient.  Almost as tough as a bullhead... I mean if you hook them right... but much better than bullheads... in the bay I mean.  Shiners.  I remember reading somewhere that they accumulate toxins at an alarming rate.  No one really cares about this but the elderly Cantonese set on Pier 7.  And those folks generally do not pay much attention to health warnings and such.  There's quite a few people who eat shiners, actually.  I imagine they fry the shit out of 'em.  Or maybe add them to soup?  Steamed shiner with ginger and garlic and rice?  I dunno.  I would like to try it just once--a meal of steamed shiners.  Maybe Mr. Lee will invite me over to his apt in Chinatown for a meal of jack smelt, shiners, wong fa and Embarcadero rock crabs.  We can take the Muni 16 together--him with his shopping cart, me with my note pad and pork pie hat.  

Shiners jack smelt wong fa and rock crabs... You all wince in disgust... tell me now:  you really think Mrs. Lee doesn't know how to make a delicious meal out of these local fishes?  I mean for reals, yo.

Listen

   

I grow weary.  Too weary to hunt through the infer-web and find relevant photographs to keep the nominally-interested happy.  Fuck it, no photos today.  

The wife is playing a sad song of Balkan origin... ah life.

It is quite possible that this will be my last post before I go away on vacation to the purposefully fishless Grand Canyon (my first ever visit).  I will be gone two weeks.  The blogging will resume on 10/25. In the mean time, I notice there are something like 200 posts on here.  I highly encourage you all to poke pole through this morass of verbiage and find the things you missed.  

 

 

BTW:  My favorite video of all was the one about the pigeons.  

Time to go.  Sardines for dinner.  

From the cusp of stardom (yeah right) this is Lombard of the intertidal saying, see ya in 2.5 weeks.

Comments

[sean m]

thanks go to you, kirk diggler. i love reading your blog. one of 4 i read regularly.

[Scott Parker]

Hey Kirk, don't rule out fishing in the Grand Canyon yet.

http://www.grandcanyontreks.org/faq.htm

http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/fish.htm

I can't claim to ever have participated in this activity but it's
noted and there.

I also have to say that I agree with Sean M who commmented above
that I also really love reading your blog. It's definitely my
favorite blog on the web, not necessarily because it's about fishing
but because it's quirky and entertaining. Maybe our goal, as
readers, should be to see how quickly we can make it go viral?

Have a great trip and look forward to your update when you return.
Can't wait to hear your take on your travels outside the bay!

[neversat]

Happy anniversary, Kirk. Keep blogging and we'll keep reading. By the way, I've caught rainbow trout in the Grand Canyon, even when the water is the color of chocolate milk.

[Scott Parker]

And since I didn't ask before and didn't see it mentioned while re-reading, what is the show and air-date of your over-the-air debut (Unless you are under an NDA not to mention it!)

Since I've been busy and homebound so frequently I definitely need to tune the box in to see your episode!

[bob a]

keep on bloggin' baby! I've never been able to explain to non-fisherman the creative/intellectual/gentlemenly side of dropping a line in the water and waithing for a bite. Thanks for making it so all I have to do is send them a link to MFN.

[Alan]

Fry the shit out of them is the Cantonese SOP.

Don't bother though, not much meat on em.

[Fontenelle451]

Autumn is a great time to be outdoors. Hope you enjoy peering into the abyss. I need to visit the Grand Canyon soon myself. Nothing like natural beauty on a mammoth scale to help me appreciate the insignificance of human endeavor. After I allow the S.F. Giants to give me an ulcer, I'll travel to the northern Sierra where I will be surrounded by fall foliage as I catch spawning Brook trout. Soon after that, Dungeness crab will be in season. Life is good.

[Northern Boy]

Hey!
Happy Birthday!

I'm still here! Still reading and enjoying every post!

I agree with Fontenelle, Autumn is great. Picked a bunch of wild mushrooms this morning then spent the afternoon making (hard) cider from windfall apples.

[PK]

Your's is the only blog I read regularly. I keep thinking I can explain to non-fisherpeople why it is so great, but to no avail.
Keep it up!

[cohu]

Happy anniversary! I don't know anything about fishing but I still like reading your blog.

[Finesmell]

Dude, if you find our commentary inspired, it's only because we find your blog inspiring - may it continue to inspire others, for years to come!

[deltajohn]

Eclectic and entertaining blog.

[mata iaia]

Please do keep us up to date with your life's journey. You are the only blog I check on regularly, and always with great enjoyment. It was referred by my Son, to my Husband, and then to me. (and then of course many others!)

Your current choice of books read "The Road" may be a tad dark for the moment,perhaps some contemporary Buddhist writing?

Just finished canning a load of Albacore in fabulous olive oil!

Mata