Would you be mad...
Now Playing: Jawbreaker: Fine Day

...if you found out the writer of your favorite blog had another blog that was even more personal and introspective?  I was, but then I read all the entries and I was stoked.  The dudes portrayed on that site are the real deal.   Living it, you know?   I'd like to think that I live it but I really am just lucky that I get to experience a lot of stuff because of my job.  Driving to Austin in a weird van pulling a trailer filled with plastic jugs of alternative fuel is living it.   Leaving home with no clothes and just buying ratty gear at thrift stores along the way is living it.  I'm a wuss.  I like thrift store clothes but I have to wash them before I wear them. 

      My work is finally calming down a bit and I'm happy about it.   I haven't ridden my bike since I filmed that video three weeks ago.  My bike  has a flat tire in the barn and has, I assume, since that night.  That is pathetic.   "Yeah, I used to ride, but my bike is all messed up and I haven't had time to fix it".    I've heard the lame excuses so many times and they make sick.   MIne is isn't an excuse, it happens every year during this time.  I have a birthday during the same non-riding period and that's extra depressing.  No need to worry though, I'm a gonna fix that tire tomorrow and get back at it.  We have a jam coming up in two weeks at Modern in Grand Rapids, too...

 

One of my oldest and dearest friends, Jeff Venekamp, took his sons to the track and Jeffrey came out with the gold!

Jeff and I go back to the early 80s and Jeffrey is the first of my friends' from the old days whose kids who have started racing.  I'm proud of the boys.  I know Jeffrey's brother Cullen is no slouch either and although he pretends that he doesn't really ride any more, big daddy Jeff still has the first straight pull of a 15 year old, not to mention tons of style.

 

 

 

News Flash

Winter fucking sucks.  I'm over it.  I've been sick, my kids are sick, my wife is sick, our daycare lady is now sick and there is so much frickin' snow on the ground it is ridiculous.  Two weeks ago, I left for Vegas for a trade show.  It was a busy show, which is good for me, but it was in Vegas, which is a horrible place. 

Here's a visual re-cap:

I came across this fossilized leaf imprint in the sidewalk while trying to find food (no easy task).  An ironic reminder that nature is not welcome in the streets of Lost Wages.

Room with a view.   It might as well be a movie back-drop, because you barely go outside in Vegas.

Tradeshow antics.   Playing dress up is totally in style.  I'm not the only kook on this planet.

Socked in, clocked out.  It took almost four hours to get from Detroit to Grand Rapids (a 25 minute flight).  Nice.

On a BMX note, Sean Newton, Jeremy Ball, Chris Noble and some others rented out Kzoo last Sunday and produced these great photos (taken by Sean):

Jeremy Ball with a lookback.

Dave Moon, stylish as always.

Jeremy was teaching teenagers history 15 hours after doing this flair.

Chirs Noble is stylish and dialed.

A Noble hangover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

wide world of sports

I used to watch ABC's Wide World of Sports every weekend.  I would make my mom buy TV Guide so I could see what was going to be on that week.  All I really wanted to see was Evel Knievel, but some of the other stuff on there was awesome.  The Carlsbad MX races, ski-jumping and I really liked Alpine ski racing.  It was rad. 

Fast forward a lot of years to the X games and "Racer X" ski racing has replaced Boarder X (which was like BMX racing on snow), but I think it's my favorite Winter X games event. 

It was total carnage.  Freestyle snowmobile jumping is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.  It makes FMX look cool almost.

    Anyway, it's definitely still winter here.

That's the temp. from inside my van late thursday night on the way home from Cleveland.  While there, I got to ride RAys again and it ruled like always.  I love that place.  Getting home at 3:30 AM wasn't so great though.

     I filmed this on Saturday night.  I know, I'm a dork.  The barn ramps are fun though. 

   I'm about to be late for my flight to Vegas, so peace out.  Have a great week.
 

 

 

 

snow rolls uphill
Now Playing: Mogwai: Travel is Dangerous

 Jesse from DK is a super cool cat but Catfish maybe doesn't think so.

    I'm tired of snowblowing, driving in the snow, being holed up inside and being cold, but I cut some turns in the fresh pow yesterday morning

   Sean Newton took this photo of Levi when the weather was nice.

It will be nice again. 

I like bikes.

To hell with the rules.

 

 

 

 

 

 

sounds good on paper
Now Playing: Lakers vs. Suns

Not sure why, but I have been kind of into basketball lately.  I've always liked it.  It's definitely my favorite "ball" sport.  I think because the dudes actually have style and personality more akin to BMX or skateboarding.  Maybe not.  Shit, who cares.  The Lakers are losing and that makes me happy somehow.

   bike rack outside of Amazing Grace in Louisville, an amazing health food store.   

       I'm on the road.  I'm not even sure where I am right now.  Somewhere in Indiana.  Gas City?  It's near Fairmont, the home of James Dean.  Again, you've tuned into the "who gives a shit channel".    When I left home yesterday it was 16 degrees with lots of snow.  On this same trip at this same time of year in the past, I've been pleasantly surprised by the time I got further south that it was significantly warmer and without snow on the ground.  Such was the case yesterday.  I got to Louisville and it was pushing 40 and nice out.   I met up with Ernesto from Dans to do some real work but  only after an awesome dinner with Ernesto's wife Beth, Ernesto and Leland from Shitluck.  Ernesto was picking up a bunch of the Shitluck/United collaboration frames for Dans.  I helped him load them in his car, but didn't actually see a frame.  I did see one in Ride UK though and it looked kick ass.  What I did see was the new Mutiny HD DVD Stoked on Being Pumped and Animal's Don't Quit Your Day Job 2, both of which were awesome in their own opposite-ends-of-the-spectrum way.

     Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning it looked like this

out back of Ernesto's house.

and definitely was not 40 degrees and nice.  I've been really lucky in the past with Louisville trips (I go there a few times a year for work) and I can only think of one other time that I wasn't able to ride a little bit at least.  Last year at this time Davey Coop and rode in arctic temps but did ride regardless.   Speaking of Davey, he has a nice write up and photos on the Team Young site.  It's good to see some action over there again.

Burger King is my go-to fast food with the Veggie Whopper, but vending machine Burger King snacks is an all-time low.

          I had a long day today of working and  driving but by this evening I found my way to the born-again Just Ride skatepark (now) in Muncie, Indiana.  The park isn't finished but it is operative and it is going to be fircking awesome when it's done.  It's awesome now.

     GoGo Reily sent these links to an ancient interview with yours truly.  It's kind of crazy how much of a kook I was and how much of a kook I still am in many of the same ways. This was in Invert magazine in 1990.  Invert was kind of a predecessor to Ride UK.

Yeah.

 

Deliverance International Inc.

I don't even know how they find it, but there are some readers of this mess from far off lands.  Shout outs to GoGo Reilly and Team Sano across ye old Atlantic  and Paulo from Portugal.   Hell  yeah.

    This is my new "business" card.

My wife pointed out that I "gave myself hair", as if that were the most absurd thing about this.

 

 

mother do you think they'll try to break my balls

mother can you help build the wall?

   Sorry, a little Pink Floyd reference for you there.  My mother didn't help me, but I did build a wall (ride) in the Deliverance training facility just now.  This photo is from a few weeks ago, but there is now a wall on top of this ramp...

It's pretty close to the ramp, but it was good to get going on wall-rides again.  I haven't done one in a long time.  Sean Newton took that photo, by the way.

      The backlash to the post below has been minimal, but I have no one to blame but myself.  

    Congratulations to good friend Jason Burton and his wife heather on the birth of lil' baby Jenson Burton!

   Some of you will find this amusing.  Yes, I am the winner of this item. 

   
 

 

 

take it

 

point and shoot
Now Playing: My Morning Jacket

A busy ass week is back under control and I'm finally taking a breath.   I did get to ride the new and improved TRP on Sunday night.  There is lots of new, fun stuff in the street area and more on the way.  Michigan legend Jason Suchen is the head mofo in charge now and seems to be doing things the the right way.   There were tons of people riding and skating so things are looking good so far.

    

That bike would fetch a mint on Ebay.  Dang.

      I like to practice taking photos with the pause button.  I've done this for years with bike and skate videos, where you try to pause the shot at the peak of action, just like taking a photograph.  You can't cheat and slo-mo it either.  With DVRs, you can do the same thing.  This shot of James Stewart was taken during the season opener for this year's AMA Supercross series. 

  James finished an astounding 2nd place after going down in the first turn.  Lucky ass Chad Reed won.  I guess there's more to luck to winning the Anaheim Supercross but he's lucky Bubba went down.

      Davey Coop, Joe Gall and Rusty Keys took a trip to Austin during the holidays.  Apparently, it didn't go so well.  Here's Davey's summary:

 2 bruised hip and road rash
separated clavicle
partially torn ligaments
bashed out drivers side window
stolen radio
stolen ipod
stolen rusty keys 4 day old ipod
stolen joe gall 6 day old $700 tomtom navigation system

      Keep in mind that the broken into car was Davey's new (to him) Audi.  Shitty New  Year to you too.  Get well soon, buddy.

    
 

 

 

 

 

Unhappy Anniversary

This week marks the one year anniversary of the passing of Glenn Seals.  I still remember how stoked Glenn was when I told him we were moving back to Kalamazoo.  He was excited to have another person to ride with.   It's really sad that there is one less person now.   You're forever in our hearts, Glenn.  We miss you.