The next day Travis [Ferré, What Youth co-founder] shows me by far the best YouTube video I have ever seen. It’s a five-minute short about about John Baldessari with Tom Waits narrating. The whole video is captivating. I fall in love with this six-foot-seven tall old dude.

But the piece of art that startled me was just a picture of an ear with Beethoves’s trumpet coming out of it. And I thought, “How bizarre but simple but genius. To think that the ear might have something to say. And if it did then it should be loud, very loud, so that the whole room or building could hear.”

I lose my heat against Heitor Alves when he does a flip. Literally. The next day I wake up thinking about this piece of art that is so simple but so brilliant. I look above my head and see that cactus. I think, “Where’s the complete opposite place you would want this cactus?”

Then, I imagine the cactus as your girlfriend. You sleep with her, she’s in your shadows. She looks beautiful as the wind blows the drapes around her as she looks out into the sun. She’s with your dog. You’re scratching your head at her. Because women do things that men don’t understand. Then I shoot my girlfriend. With a camera. Not a gun. Even though my camera does look like you’d put a small bomb into it. It gets checked sometimes in airport security.

[Next three images] I don’t have much to say. Nothing influenced me to take these photos. I was really just trying to finish the roll. But hey, it is Dane Reynolds #behindthescenesofwhatyouthsissuetwo omg!

I like Dane. I like Courtney. Their dogs like wheels. Dane’s surfing gets me amped. I appreciate that he does what he wants. He’s a man. Men do what they want. He’s nice to me. We talk about boards and cameras. Mainly boards. He likes the way Mayhems feel under his arms. We are friends.

But I do like these photos. The family portrait. The nature framing with one of Dane’s dogs watching him goof around on one of those plastic penny skateboards. The one with his dog covering its eyes. As if someone told her not to look. Someone the dog respected enough to listen to. I like black and white. I think I’m going to shoot it more.

Sunday morning I’m walking down Del Mar which is also know as San Clemente’s central. Sunday morning is the farmers market. I pick up jams, fruits and honeys. As I’m choosing my basket of strawberries, I glance to my left and realize there’s a table of totally awesome, totally insane plants. I think, “What a good addition to my room.” I choose a little Mexican cactus for five dollars. I’m thrilled, as they would say in Stab mag.