the wayfaring surfer: panama-pat noyes

     As lou the cat and I were rooting for the home team at a sunny wisconsin badger's football game, (while matt upstaged me and ruined the dramatic effect), we discussed the legend of panama-pat noyes.

     A powerful force, shrouded in mystery, panama-pat is a transcendental multi-dimensional wandering philosopher. searching, deep in thought, he is forever seeking the answer to man's purpose, indeed the ontological truth of the very existence of consciousness. he thinks, and he surfs, and therefore he is... 

     panama-pat noyes.

     Panama-pat is wise and charismatic (his sun-hat has +10 wisdom and charisma). both of our fates(lou the person/lou the cat) have been affected profoundly by this man. for myself, lou the person, pat got me to start diving when I was 14 and later coached me at northwestern. for lou the cat, it was pat's fat-fat-kitty-cat marcel (and his unquenchable thirst for the blood of the innocent) that brought lou to madison to live with me.

     The reason that marcel was staying at the noyes' was because pat was leaving for a year on a quest for truth. pat is surfing in south africa and south east asia, with a brief stop in amsterdam and finland to visit some buddies.

     Yes dear readers! our stylishly-sun-shaded odysseus, as I write this very blog, is surfing his way from the land of the lotus-eaters, around the horn of the dark continent, through the west indies and the far east, risking life and limb, scylla and charybdis, sirens and penguins and cyclopses and the wrath of neptune, reaching for the stars, and doing his best to achieve his dreams: the perfect wave and true enlightenment.

     Lou is planning to meet pat for a session of meditation, and a spirit quest. he is heading out pretty soon to south africa to pow-wow with panama-pat, and to defend his title in the cape of good hope big wave penguin-surf classic. 

     He has told me that he plans to challenge panama-pat to a one-on-one, winner-takes-all, surf showdown. winner gets bragging rights at the local youth center, wins the affection of a cute surfer penguin named isabella mcdougherty, and attains nirvana.

    panama-pat noyes, I, lou the person, and all of our readers, wish you good luck in your travels. lou the cat is asleep/shedding on a pile of clean clothes, but I'm sure that he would wish you the best of luck as well. please send us postcards of pure truth and make sure to wear sunscreen and take a multi-vitamin and don't swim until 30 min after eating and watch out for stranger-danger and no unwrapped candy and wear flip-flops on the beach or you'll cut your foot on some broken glass and eat plenty of ruffage and some vegetables.