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[Beakman]

I'm glad to see that another insomniac is coming!

The lady from where I rented the scooter has contacts for outdoor activities like hiking and paragliding. She put me in contact with a guy that does tours in electric-assisted mountain bikes. I want to do one.

In the meantime, icy helped me get an arcade stick. Since you need a resident ID number to have stuff shipped to Tenerife (the Canaries have lower VAT than peninsular Spain), I asked icy to order it and just paid him in cash.

The stick doesn't have Japanese arcade parts, but it's compatible with them and what it has feels decent. Pretty nice feature set for the price too, even considering that I don't have a Switch:

https://www.8bitdo.com/arcade-stick/

Can't wait to see it alongside icy's arcade stick.

[icycalm]

We were saying with Beak that the Alien vs. Predator arcade that maxes out at three players would be a good game to play when Bo gets here. We'd just need to find a filter that makes it look good at 4K. I think there are some advanced filters for that res now that are said to look quite appealing. It'll be a good reason to try them out. Otherwise we can also play it at 1080p on my TV.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_vs._Predator_(arcade_game)

It's a classic, so as long as you like the genre Bo, we'll have fun with it. Otherwise there's other games to try. Not many specifically 3P arcade games that we know though.

[jeffrobot494]

I used to play that game at the arcade in my hometown. I'd love to play it again.

[Beakman]

To whet your appetites, I familiarized myself with the Steam release of RetroArch and one of its shader-based CRT filters (CRT-Royale, which reportedly is the best CRT filter out there), and gave Alien vs. Predator a test run. Here are some 2160p screenshots. Check them out in a new tab:









Note that CRT-Royale has an insane amount of customization settings, I'm just using the defaults.

[jeffrobot494]

Looks beautiful, Beak.

Beakman and I spoke about where I'm going to sleep. Is there anything else you guys can think of I should bring? I've got my laptop, clothes, etc.

[icycalm]

Swim trunks, your driver's license maybe. And make sure you call your bank and tell them you'll be using your card(s) abroad.

[jeffrobot494]

Hey guys, my flight gets in October 12th, Tenerife South, at 1:55 PM. I forgot to make that clear when I said I was leaving on the 11th. There's a few long layovers.

[icycalm]

First off, I brought back the Discord #offline channel, and we've been posting a lot there, so whoever wants up-to-the-minute info on our adventures, get on Discord. That said, the channel is only for chatting while at the meetup location. For planning meetups, we'll still be using the forum.

Next, I want to talk about the planned snowboard trip to Chamonix that I mentioned recently on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/57226490

That's been postponed for next year. Let me explain why.

I've mentioned before that I am staying in my Tenerife apartment for free, because of a government eviction moratorium due to the Chinese plague. This moratorium expires on November 1, so I had been expecting to be evicted within a couple of weeks of that date (as I haven't paid rent in a year and don't intend to). That's when I planned to fly to Chamonix and look for a place for the winter season.

However yesterday a lady from the local courthouse came to the apartment, rang the doorbell, and told me that the eviction will take place February 24... She showed the court documents to Miguel, and explained to him everything in Spanish. This means I can keep staying here for free, 20 minutes away from a great surfing beach, for another four months... So it doesn't make much financial sense to not take advantage of this. I dearly want to go snowboarding, as it's my favorite sport, but downhill mountain biking is my second favorite, and surfing is my third, and I can keep doing the last two for practically free in Tenerife for another four months, so I'll take this opportunity, and I invite people to join me for it if they wish. We already have a crew for snowboarding for next winter, as Ciaróg and Beakman have expressed interest, so including me that's three, plus I hope at least a couple more people should sign up by next year. This means we should be able to rent a pretty slick giant apartment well ahead of time, and we should have a hell of a season next year, so I am looking forward to that. In the meantime, keep in mind that all these sports are related, and improving in any one of them also helps with all the rest, in addition to all the fitness and dexterity benefits (DEX/CON +1/season), that again help with all of them.

Now recoil and Robo expressed interest in the Chamonix trip, but I don't know if they'd also be interested in Tenerife, so let me break down to you the differences in terms of cost so you can make up your mind, if that's a factor for you.

-In Tenerife there's no lift pass. The ocean is free for anyone. So forget that cost.

-Surfing gear cost is about 1/3rd what it is for snowboarding. So instead of €1,500 you can expect to pay €500-600 for surfing.

-There's no accommodation cost as you'll be staying with me for free. That said, I do get about €100 per month in bills, and when there's a bunch of people in the apartment those rise considerably, so if you could chip in for those, that'd be great. It's still nothing compared to what we'd be paying in Chamonix.

-Food is even cheaper than in France. In fact you can probably eat out here every day with the same amount of money you'd be eating in in France. Nightlife costs are also negligible. It's the cheapest place in the first world. When you have three people you can even rent a car for very little, and then all sorts of other opportunities for fun open up.

So as you can see, the costs of this plan are negligible. They only rise if you also want to try downhill mountain biking, the gear for which can get expensive. You're looking at around €2,000-€2,500 for a bike, helmet and knee and elbow pads. You might be able to rent a bike, and I have a friend who runs a Specialized shop, but I haven't looked at the selection or the prices because I already have all that gear. If someone is interested, let me know and I'll look it up for you. It's really cool having your own bike though, and you can pack it up and ship it anywhere in the world afterwards. You might even be able to keep it here in my or Miguel's apartment, if we have enough space and if you plan on coming back.

And btw, keep in mind that Miguel is looking for a place to rent (or even buy), and if he does get one we can stay there beyond February 24. So until February 24 is guaranteed, but we might be able to stretch it to the spring if he gets a place. We'll keep you posted on that front.

Finally, I'll conclude with some videos for surfing and downhill mountain biking for those who don't know the sports and want a preview of how cool they can be. So I'll link you my favorite movies for these two sports.

Favorite surfing movie:

Innersection (2011) | Kelly Slater, Matt Meola, Craig Anderson | Full Movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_azHA9quYg



The best clip from that movie is this:

Innersection 2011 Matt Meola's $100,000 Winning Part
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0kc6mPVmos

Favorite downhill mountain biking movie:

The Collective - Seasons HD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhd4dazMoWs



The best clip from that movie is this:

Seasons - Matt Hunter - Full Part - The Collective Films
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4J3L0oKUPU

This stuff is Sports Art. It's the physical counterpart to Videogame Art. It doesn't get any better than this stuff, and if you want to try it out with me, post here and let me know and we'll arrange it. Miguel is flying out on Sunday (his visa runs out then, and he'll be back likely in about three months), and Bo flies out on the 16th of November, but we already have space for more people, and if Miguel gets his own place we'll have even more space with two apartments. And P.S., I've ordered the 4K 16 ms projector I mentioned earlier [ > ] and you'll be seeing content from it soon. I might not have been able to afford it had I done the Chamonix trip, but I can afford it now, and it'll be a godsend for tons of stuff: arcade gaming, normal gaming, D&D gaming. Even cool movie nights, and why not TV show binges.

The only thing you need to do to come here is book your flight to Tenerife (ideally Tenerife North airport, but Tenerife South will also do, it's just a much longer bus ride). All gear can be purchased here. Just bring summer clothes, sandals, and a light sweater or jacket for the mountain or a chilly night. Also look up vaccination entry requirements for Spain. You won't need the vaxx to live on the island, and I am not vaxxed and don't plan on getting it, but you might need it to get in the country. Or maybe a test will do, it might also depend on your country of origin, or the countries you might pass through. Figure that stuff out before purchasing a ticket.

[recoil]

I'll wait for the Chamonix trip next year and stay home. At the moment, I'm in a good spot to stack some more cash and I'd like to stay unvaxxed as long as possible. Most travel to Europe from the US requires proof of vaccination if it's for tourism.

[icycalm]

Lake Tahoe is one of the best ski resorts in the world. How far is it from your home? You could learn to ride there... Bear Mountain is smaller but it may be closer to you, and there may be even smaller ones closer to you I haven’t heard about because they don’t make it in movies. In general you live in the best place in the world for these sports. They all were pretty much invented there and you could do all of them without ever getting on a plane. When I was spending my summers in Orange County I used to think that I could probably snowboard, surf and skate in a single day if I timed it right.

If you end up getting into any of these sports, start a thread on Orgy and I will give you recommendations for gear and coaching tips.

On November 15, France will decide whether or not to extend mask and vaxx mandates. If they choose to abolish them, and if crypto keeps going up as it has, I MAY buy the Chamonix lift pass before November 30. I will let you guys know in that case. My crypto would have to 2.5x minimum for me to consider it.

[icycalm]

Hell you could arrange for a week-long snowboarding trip with Miguel now that he’s coming back to the states for three months... Could rent most of the gear for that. Buy the clothes and rent the board. It might set you back 1k, but it’d be worth it.

Just throwing ideas out. Hell, if I could come to CA I would. I’ve ridden in Breckenridge and Vail, CO, and it was some of the best riding of my life. Whistler in British Columbia was incredible too.

[recoil]

I’m definitely considering just snowboarding close to home, I have a handful of options an hour away from me and Lake Tahoe would probably take me half a day to get to. Bo is closer to Lake Tahoe than I am, we could pretty much have another meet up there with Miguel.

[Beakman]

I'm flying to Mexico from Tenerife in a couple of days, but I'll need to fly to the US soonish for work-related matters (I'm expecting that it'll be in the latter part of November, maybe December). When I know for sure, I'll provide updates to see if we can arrange something in California.

[icycalm]

Miguel bought an apartment in my town lol barely ten minutes’ walk from my apartment. And thus begins the Cult Block, Cult Town, and ultimately Cult Empire. And it all began with several months of Cult Squatting.

P.S. Three bedrooms for €70,000 ffs.

[Robomoo]

I'm definitely in for the Chamonix trip next year.

This year, I think I'll try to do a short snowboarding trip closer to where I am. If any other Cultists want and are able to join me that'd be cool (I don't want to say which country I'm in for reasons; message me and I'll tell you). Note though that the lift passes are cheaper here but the rent is a lot more expensive than Chamonix, so I don't think a trip longer than two weeks or so would be viable.

I'd also like to come to Tenerife for a bit and try surfing, depending on how much time I can get off and how long I end up going snowboarding for.

[icycalm]

He’s in a Nordic country, and let me tell you something, they suck for mountain sports because they don’t really have mountains, or even enough daylight hours in the winter to get a full day’s riding in, on top of the fact they are hyperexpensive. That’s why all the Nordic people go to the Alps for mountain sports. You’re much better off just going to the Alps this year too. Unless you want to go riding on weekends, in which case of course you can’t take a flight and going to whatever resort is closest to you is the best you can do. That’s what I did the last two years of high school in Greece. There is a small ski resort three hours’ driving north of Athens, and I would go there on Saturdays most weekends. Either my dad would drive me three hours there starting at 5 AM, and then three hours back at 4:30 PM, or I would take a special ski bus there, and I am sure they have this sort of thing in the Nordic countries, as well as in France, Italy, and wherever there are ski resorts. But I would not advise anyone to fly in and join you. This sort of thing is strictly for locals. And you can have a ton of fun this way, don’t get me wrong, and you will learn snowboarding; but if you are going for a week or more it makes much more sense to just fly to the Alps. It certainly makes no sense for anyone to FLY to a Nordic country to go snowboarding there. When I was studying in London for example I would do at least one week-long trip to the Alps or even Colorado a year instead of going to some shitty hill in Scotland with two chairlifts, which is what the Greek and Nordic ski resorts are like.

And P.S., if you’re going to the Alps for a week or two, you don’t need to buy a season pass. You can buy a weekly or biweekly pass for a couple hundred euros a week or something.

Whenever you feel like coming to Tenerife, post here. In the spring, I’ll be in Sweden, but Miguel might be here and you can hang out with him, and maybe even stay with him and go surfing together. One of us should be here most of the year from now on, and if you time it right you might catch us both.

And also, if you will be organizing trips with the clan, you’ll need to make a thread and post the destination. If you want to do things secretly, just message people on Discord, but don’t make a “Secret Trip” thread or some shit. If it’s secret, do it in secret, and leave me and Insomnia out of it. I am trying to build a community here.

[icycalm]

Miguel should be back in Mexico by now. Here are some pics he took.

The beach I usually surf at, Playa del Socorro (socorro means "help" so it's literally called "Help Beach" because of the often strong rip currents): https://magicseaweed.com/Playa-del-Soco ... eport/225/



The resident ducks you can play with:





This is my bank. It stayed like that for at least a day. Miguel has a better pic on his phone where he stands in front of it for scale.



At Monasterio, one of the best restaurants on the island: https://www.mesonelmonasterio.com/



Miguel, Bo, me.

He has lots more pics, but primarily of sightseeing stuff.

Bo will be here until November 16, but he's thinking of taking a short trip to Casablanca or Barcelona before that.

[Beakman]

The bank had that BSOD for about a week lol. Here's the other picture you took of me:



Doing some work in Playa San Marcos, at walking distance from icy's place. Bo went there in an almost daily basis. That restaurant was pretty Italian, in that besides serving Italian food, waiters and patrons were speaking Italian:



A view of the cove of Playa San Marcos:



Walking back from San Marcos to Icod, you get a view of the Teide volcano. I don't think I've been in another place with such sudden elevation changes. This makes the scenery very visually interesting. Even short walks feel like a tiny adventure:



Sunset at Playa del Socorro, after joining icy the first time. In the second, I went with bodyboarding equipment, as recommended by icy as a fun, quick way to have fun in the waves. We managed to ride a wave together (him in his surfboard, me in a bodyboard), which was one of the coolest moments in my life:



As icy mentioned, I got a lease on an apartment. I loved the view from it, I hope it makes up for the fact that to reach it from the bus station you need to walk uphill:



In my last day in the Canaries I did a flash visit to the island of La Palma to see the volcano eruption that has been on the news. In the photo you can distinguish the glowing lava flows coming out of its crater. I was close enough to hear the eruptions. It was strange, almost like a giant breathing. A unique spectacle.





All in all, this CULT meetup was very eventful for me. I had such a great time and I'm excited about going back to Tenerife as soon as my EU visit permit refreshes. icy is a tremendous host, providing advice on everything fun from surfing to pick-up. Then there were the philosophical and gaming conversations. I was already appreciative of his efforts, but seeing the man putting so much work on D&D and Ultimate Edition was eye-opening.

I'm very grateful icy, thank you for hosting me.

[icycalm]

That wave we must have caught at its peak. You went right and I went left, and that’s only possible at the peak. I had never caught the same wave with anyone before because I’ve always surfed alone as I don’t know anyone who surfs (and when I catch by mistake the same wave with a stranger we are more likely to yell curses at each other and fight over it than holler in joy). When you start catching bigger ones you will remember the rides for the rest of your life. As I told you and Bo, the first time I properly angled on a wave in San Clemente pier in Orange County I wanted to call everyone I know and tell them I love them.

This is very different from snowboarding, because in snowboarding you don’t really “catch” anything. Snow is a frozen wave. It’s not going anywhere (well unless there is an avalanche and then you don’t want to be anywhere near it as you’ll probably die), so you can ride it at will. That’s why it’s so much easier. Waves on the other hand are almost like a living thing, constantly moving, and half the sport is about managing to get on top of them at the right time to ride them. It is very, very difficult, but when you manage it it’s one of the best feelings in the world, totally unforgettable and basically indescribable. And the bigger the wave the greater this feeling; when a double overhead monster lifts you up it feels like you’re being catapulted, and when you catch it and drop into it and glide along its face you’ll think that whoever hasn’t done this hasn’t really lived.

The definitive Hollywood surf movie by the way is Kathryn Bigelow‘s 1991 Point Break with Keanu Reeves.



It’s a fantastic movie. I was watching it on repeat in Greece in ‘96 before my first surf trip to California. Of course the surfing in it is fake as the actors don’t really surf. It’s hilarious too because one moment they are hanging at the beach with tiny waves and the next moment the villains show up to surf and suddenly the waves are double overhead lol. But if you don’t know anything about swells you don’t notice the stupidity of it lol.

A more realistic surf film is 1998’s In God’s Hands.



That stars real pro surfers like Shane Dorian. Of course it means it’s not a very good movie, but the surfing’s better and the locations are exotic.

And finally, the classic surf movie is 1966’s The Endless Summer. It’s even referenced in Point Break (which is itself referenced in the Avengers films when Stark calls Thor “point break” for his resemblance to Patrick Swayze’s blonde surfer dude).



I haven’t actually seen this because it’s 1966 and they have old, giant wooden surfboards so the surfing isn’t that exciting, but I have seen the 1994 sequel, The Endless Summer II, and it was a fun documentary. The plot of both movies—documentaries, really—is basically two guys flying around the world trying to live an endless summer. In the second one, one of them has a longboard and the other a shortboard, so the surfing’s decent. But the highlight in these movies is the globetrotting: from Hawaii and North America to Europe, Australia and even Africa, they feature most of the main locations surfers are attracted to.



So with these movies you have the entire gamut from Hollywood blockbuster to pure documentary. They are great for inspiration for those who want to bring surfing into their lives and learn more about surfing as a lifestyle. Once one has properly started surfing though, they lose their interest, because now you’re already living the lifestyle, and at that point proper surf movies like 2011’s Innersection I linked above become your staple. That’s what people mean when they talk of “surf movies”. I’ll be posting more of my favorites from those if more people here pick up surfing and become interested in them.

[icycalm]

-How much do you squat?

-Going on 13 months.

-Whoa.

-Do you even squat, bro?

I haven’t paid rent since October 2020. That’s (partly) how I am paying for some stuff I recently ordered.

More on Patreon when the stuff arrives, including how to pay 1/4th of list price.