The West Virginia Surf Report!

I’m going to post some photos here, over the next couple o’ days, of our just-ended trip to Myrtle Beach. And, by the way, I’d rate the vacation a big fat A. Two days were a little cool and rainy, and that’s the only reason I didn’t go with A+. A fantastic trip! This is going to take me a while, so I’ll do it piecemeal. Please check back.

This is might be one of the best pictures I’ve ever taken. I don’t know, but I love it. It’s just my cell phone, with no filters or anything. The moon was crazy-bright the whole time we were there.

I took four shots of this sunset. The first two were orange, and the second two were pink. Just minutes apart. I like this one too, but all I had to do was point and click.

This one’s a little blurry, but I like the blur. I took it late at night from our balcony: a police SUV cruising the beach. Unfortunately, a Myrtle Beach policeman was killed that same night, in the line of duty.

One of our must-visit restaurants in Myrtle Beach is Big Mike’s Soul Food. This time I opted for fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, collard greens, boiled cabbage, and cornbread. I was under pressure to order, and might’ve adjusted things slightly if I’d had more time to consider it. But everything was fantastic, as usual.

A generic beach shot, taken from Springmaid Pier, that I like. Low-tide, when Toney likes to go out for her five-mile walks. And when I stay back at the hotel and tell myself I should probably join her, but just look at my phone instead. This time I’m with her.

Just an old man wearing douchey sunglasses taking selfies on the beach.

One of the six or seven sea kitties living on the hotel property. This one is hoping we’ll “drop” some scrambled eggs during our breakfast. We slipped them some food every day, even though the signs said not to. They’re very skittish though, and won’t let you pet them or even get close.

Our hotel at night, taken from the beach. Our room was in the middle, fourth or fifth floor from the top.

Support us with a monthly $4 donation at Patreon, and get an extra podcast episode every week! We’re also at Venmo (@thewvsr) and PayPal ([email protected]). Thank you, guys!

Ahoy, Surf Reporters! I just wanted to drop in real fast and alert you to a new episode of the podcast, hosted by Producer Zipp. He graciously offered to sit in for me while I was on vacation, and he turned out a great episode! Check it out.

Also, just so you know… I’m allowing comments for two days, but I set it so I have to approve them before they appear on the site. If there’s anything political, it goes straight to the shitbox. After two days, comments will be closed. It’s a shame that I have to do this, but that’s the current situation.

I’m planning to post some photos from our trip later today. It was beautiful! Early October is the time to visit Myrtle Beach.

See ya soon.

Support us with a monthly $4 donation at Patreon, and get an extra podcast episode every week! We’re also at Venmo (@thewvsr) and PayPal ([email protected]). Thank you, guys!

Follow us on Instagram to keep track of the Myrtle Beach shenanigans. It’s a well-earned vacation, my friends. Well fucking earned. And, just so you know, I’ve been forced to turn off comments at the site, because of some folks’ absolute inability to stop injecting politics into everything. It’s insane, but whatever. If you want that kind of thing, the internet will provide. But you ain’t getting it here. When I return I’ll reassess, and might go to a set-up where I have to personally approve every comment. Which, by the way, is ridiculous and something I’m already starting to become resentful about. Or I might just do away with comments altogether. We’ll see. In the meantime, vacation time beckons. I’ll see you over on Instagram and Facebook. Also, there’s a podcast out there. Have a great week and a half!

Support us with a monthly $4 donation at Patreon, and get an extra podcast episode every week! We’re also at Venmo (@thewvsr) and PayPal ([email protected]). Thank you, guys!

OK, it’s the only one I’ve ever seen, and probably the only one that exists. But that’s neither here nor there. Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives is a great documentary. And it’s great not only because it features one of my favorite indie rock stars — Mark Everett of the Eels. It’s because it’s well-executed, I learned things, and there’s a quest of sorts that creates a bit of suspense. It’s fun to watch, and it’s only an hour long. And brevity is a dying art that I appreciate wherever I can find it.

I’ve seen the Eels in concert more than any other band, by a long-shot. Probably ten times total, somewhere in that neighborhood. My kids grew up listening to their music, alongside the Beatles and all the classics. Mark Everett, who is known to fans as E, is a god in our house. But why is he involved in a film about physics? You ask good questions, my friend.

As unlikely as it might seem, the father of the singer in this video was an accomplished physicist who came up with the “many-worlds” theory. His name was Hugh Everett, and when he first presented the theory it was rejected and ridiculed. It turns out the physicist community is just as petty, catty and shitty as any other. From all accounts, E’s father never recovered from this rejection, not really. Indeed, he died at age 51. However… after he was gone there was a reexamination of his work and he’s now considered to be a genius. And how’s that for a kick to the balls?

In the documentary E meets with physicists who knew his father, and others who attempt to help him understand his father’s signature contribution. It’s very interesting, and a lot of fun. In fact, at one of their shows I attended in Philly they played the entire movie as the opening act. After the Eels came out and ripped through two or three songs E asked the audience, “So, do you want more quantum physics, or more rock n roll?” When the audience responded in the predictable manner, E muttered, “Yeah. Take that, Dad.”

Even if you’re unfamiliar with the Eels (something you should remedy) I think you’ll enjoy this movie. It was produced by the BBC, and is very well done. It’s available right here, whenever you want to watch it. In this world, and probably a few of the others too.

I also recommend E’s autobiography, Things The Grandchildren Should Know. It’s one of the best, least-pretentious rock bios I’ve ever read. There’s also a well-reviewed book about Hugh Everett, but I haven’t read it yet.

Do you enjoy documentaries? I love ’em. In fact, I just signed up for HBO Max because of all the docs they have on there. I’m planning to watch Class Action Park ASAP. Man, that shit is right in my wheelhouse.

What are your favorite documentaries? Which ones do you recommend? Tell us all about it, won’t you?

And I’ll see you guys again soon.

Have a great day!

Support us with a monthly $4 donation at Patreon, and get an extra podcast episode every week! We’re also at Venmo (@thewvsr) and PayPal ([email protected]). Thank you, guys!

Robert Wadlow was reportedly 8′ 11″, and is the tallest person in recorded history. Here’s his Wikipedia page, which contains a lot of amazing facts. Back during the ’70s, when I was in Jr. High School, we were obsessed with the Guinness Book of World Records (it was a simpler time) and Robert Wadlow — along with Bob Hughes, the fattest man of all-time — generated a lot of highly-intellectual conversation. I’d like to open the comments section to a continuation of that. What do you suppose would be the biggest hassles of being so tall, and what do you think the benefits might be? I’ve included some amazing photos, which look like optical illusions. If we’d had these during 7th grade, our brains probably would’ve exploded. Please share your thoughts. And have a great day!

Doing a radio interview.

Aboard the Queen Mary with his mother.

Just chillin’ with a friend.

Not sure what’s going on here. But look at that shit!

With his high school class.

Dinner time.

Voting for the first time, in 1939.

Birthday boy!

With his family.

Support us with a monthly $4 donation at Patreon, and get an extra podcast episode every week! We’re also at Venmo (@thewvsr) and PayPal ([email protected]). Thank you, guys!