Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Bearded Marxist


I sometimes have fun on Facebook by posting outrageously extreme statements about my politics or my religion in my profile. For a while I was a religious follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. And I see that my political views are currently "Kenyan Mau Mau Marxist Anti-Imperialist". I had almost forgotten.

Before I was a KMMMAI I was a Bearded Marxist. For some reasons that is a popular insult for right wingers to hurl around. I never did quite understand why bearded Marxists are worse than cleanshaven Marxists.

For the record, I am not Kenyan, I am not a Marxist, and I don't have a beard. But about six years ago I did experiment with growing a beard. It didn't turn out to be a very impressive beard. There are hardly any photos of me with a beard.

But I was browsing this morning on the website of the Carolina Yacht Club which is hosting the Laser Atlantic Coasts at the end of this month. And there was a link to Great Photos From 2005 US Nationals at Wrightsville Beach. Hey, I was at that regatta! I wrote about it at Heavy Air Fear. So I idly followed the link which led me to a lot of photos by Rob Jones on something called SmugMug. And as I browsed through them I found a photo of someone who looked vaguely familiar.

Wait. Is that me? OMG! With a beard? And a flowery hat? Apparently it is.

I must have been going through my flowery-hatted bearded Marxist phase.

Perhaps I will make this Nostalgia Week and post some other old photos of me for you to laugh at.

8 comments:

Doc Häagen-Dazs said...

I will be extremely jealous if you're going to tell us you're still a flat-bellied Marxist, and haven't become a pot-bellied Bolshevik like I have.

Tillerman said...

Funny you ask Doc. After writing this post I was chatting with Tillerwoman about 2005 and the things we did on that N.Carolina/ Florida trip, and in the rest of the year. As we struggled to remember the details I dug out my 2005 running diary. I usually record travels, regattas etc. in those diaries as well as my running.

Phew! In that year, I ran one marathon, trained for another, did a frostbiting season, worked all summer as a sailing instructor. raced in all kinds of regattas, raced my Laser at a local club all summer... I never stopped moving!

Oh, and I started this blog too. Where did I find the time?

To your question about my belly... I also record my weight each week in my running diaries. I was horrified to discover I was 20 lbs lighter in 2005 than I am now. No wonder I didn't recognize that tall, slim guy with a beard in the photo!

BlueVark said...

This photo was clearly taken immediately before the:

-Drop the outhaul,
-Loose the clew tied down
-Get fingers stuck
-Release finges but drop boom
-Let go of sail in gust and get smacked in the face

Bluevark patent laser rigging system.

Tillerman said...

Quite right BlueVark. Photographers love to catch shots of us Laser sailors as we struggle with this rigging task. There's a similar shot of me (sans beard sans flowery hat) in this pose in Cabarete. At that time I was in my orange-hatted Pastafarian phase.

As I recall it, rigging was especially risky at this regatta because the Lasers were packed very tightly together in the boat park. It was quite possible to smack either of your two neighbors in the face with sail and/or boom if you weren't careful. I still feel bad about that poor kid from NJ...

Baydog said...

I got over it, thanks. Things worked out okay.

Tillerman said...

It was you? I thought you looked familiar. Your dentist did a good job with all the repairs.

O Docker said...

I was afraid of this.

Just six years of blogging have put on 20 pounds, turned your hair gray, and forced your politics to the right.

What have I gotten into?

Tillerman said...

Anyone for tea?

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