Learning 4 Ball

I basically have it down...kinda haha. 4 ball juggling is definitely doable, but I don't even know where to start when it comes to 5 ball, oy.

Heres a shot of my friend, Ted, who is an amazing juggler. Knives, clubs, balls, he'll juggle anything and balance something on his head while doing it.

Tonight I will

Dance outside of my body.

Today I will

play guitar until my fingers are sore.

This shot was taken with my Pentax MX with some expired colored film (hence the light leak).

Shlongboard

Well, since my vanguard is no longer around, I needed something to easily get around from point A to point B. Something small and light that I could carry around without much effort. Remember my Frankenboard? Well I decided to revamped a little bit.

Here is my current commuter: zip zinger nano with truck mounts redrilled to the nose an kicks, paris plates w/ randal 180mm hangers, venom 85a cone/barrel combo, Orangatang 80a durians.

This thing is a blast. The lowered platform makes it so much easier to push around for longer distances. Super fast, the 75mm wheels keep a high rolling speed and make it easy to roll over just about anything. And while I do miss the kicktail a little bit, I am much happier with the lower standing platform (I finally understand why almost everyone rides drop decks for pushing distance).

Having the trucks mounted and the nose and tail kicks makes for some crazy wedging and dewedging, creating some wicked truck angles. The best way that I can describe it is that the board is super stable when going straight, but once you begin to initiate a turn, it is extremely responsive. The trucks don't have much lean, but they have a lot of turn to them, which is nice. I'm kind of curious how fast I could take this board before I went out of my comfort zone. Maybe I'll test it out this weekend? Or maybe not...stupid rain.

Oh yea, and if you have an extra skate deck laying around, I highly recommend trying something like this. Lots of fun. Do it.

Color Vision

Tomorrow to do list:

-wear tie dye

-skate

-eat bagel + cream cheese + lentils

Insects 2: In hiding

I wonder if insects are only so good at hiding because they are so small? I mean, if I were an ant, and somehow managed to miss a ladybug I would feel pretty darn ashamed of my hide and seek skills.

Answer to my previous question: Prandals

The common question: Paris or Randal trucks? I have been riding my Bhangra with some Paris 180mm for quite some time, and until my Vanguard broke, I was riding 50 degree Randal 180s. Well, I couldn't really decide what I wanted to try on the Bhangra now that I had some gear freed up.

Essentially I was like "pshhhh" and decided to run Prandals (meaning Paris hangars on Randal base plates). Well, when I first did it I was expecting to notice any sort of difference. I mean, they're both 180mm hangars and supposedly both 50 degree baseplates (though some companies measure their geometry differently than others). I kept the same bushing combo as I had on before: Venom SHR 85a cone roadside and 87a barrel boardside.

To my surprise, I was able to notice quite a significant difference in the boards handling. It is kind of difficult to explain, but I'll try my best. It seemed as though the board had a more stable center of balance, meaning that it was less prone to turn when putting just a little weight from side to side. Once the turn was initiated, however, it would turn quite quick. It was liking riding straight, then I shift my weight just past a certain threshold and "woooooosh" the board would turn. It took a bit of getting used to, but I like it. And for right now, I'll keep running the Prandals.

Paris or Randal

that is the question...

The [Broken] Loaded Vanguard: Rest In Peace

I honestly never thought it would happen, but here it is: my beloved Vanguard has finally succumbed to years of shredding. It was the first board I bought for myself and I learned everything from 180 stand up slides to shove-its and pirouettes on it. Three years of loyal service. The majority of that time it was used as my go-to board, my commuter. I couldn't even estimate the miles that I put in on that board.

How it happened: I thrashed it just a little bit too hard. Took it outside of its (and my) comfort zone and paid the price. I spotted an early grab I wanted to try, a 5 stair set. So, well, I went for it after I got the courage. First attempt: I didn't quite clear the stairs all the way. My back truck and wheels cased the bottom stair and my feet were positioned fairly close to the middle of the board. When I landed, I heard a distinct crack and was flung from the board. The bottom of the board was already badly scratched up from bottoming out on various occasions, but this was it's last leg. The board was done. No longer super flexy, just straight up cracked.

Yea, it is a bummer. But at least it died doing what it loved. Note to self, no more early grabs on flex boards. I still view the Loaded Vanguard as one of the best investment I had ever made.

I think I'm going to mount it on my wall like this.

Barefoot Longboarding

Theres something to be said about longboarding barefoot. In my eyes, its a bit of a controversial subject. On one hand, it can be viewed as incredibly unsafe. And for good reason. In some situations, the most logical way to slow down is by dragging your foot on the ground. On the other hand, however, it is an extremely liberating activity.

The increased feeling between the board and the bottoms of your feet. Feeling the vibrations picked up from the asphalt, dampened by your wheels, bushing, and flex. I don't know, maybe its just me, but I think it's great.

Of course, I do not do anything like the video that I linked above (Striker is insane). I'll cruise. At speeds as fast as I'm comfortable going. I definitely skate way more cautiously without shoes on so that if something were to take me by surprise, I'd be able to react to it without getting hurt.

I think the best is skating barefoot in the rain. The first time I did it was simply because I was coming home from a late class, it was raining, and I didn't feel like getting my shoes and socks wet. Talk about a tactile revelation. I was hooked. And now, since I prefer to go barefoot on most occasions anyway, it just makes sense to longboard barefoot from time to time. Know what I'm saying?

Anyways, give it a try. And don't bash it till you try it. Hopefully you'll get the same sort of experience out of it that I do.

Get Yo Funk On

A shot from the Funkraiser from a few weeks back. The Funkanauts ripped it UP! I would love to see them again.

On another funky note, my boy, Zakai, just joined a funk band. His first gig was last night and there will hopefully be more to come. I'll let y'all know if there are any upcoming shows. Yee!

Rally to Save the Domes!!!

Heres a shot from the discussion that occurred in Mrak Hall on WEF about the Domes future.

Have you been waiting for the right opportunity to show your support for the cooperative community at Baggins End? This is your chance to contribute to the ongoing dialogue about the future of the Domes, learn more about the current situation, and get plugged in!

Join us as we present letters in support of the uninterrupted habitation of the Domes to members of the administration in Mrak Hall. Stop by for a festive afternoon of vibrant music, vegetarian food, powerful speakers, and celebration. Remember to wear your "Save the Domes" shirts! All are welcome!

To foster and emphasize a spirit of conscious non-violence before the rally, we are hosting two public workshops on the domes property:

Nonviolence Training - Sunday, 5.22.11 from 10 am-12 pm in the Baggins End community yurt

Please Sign the Online Petition - http://www.change.org/peti

tions/support-the-domes

Insects 1: Insex

Two crane flies (i think the genus Nephrotoma but I'm not great at identifying insect) having a bout on some leaves. Not really sure what their courtship behavior is like at all since I only had time to catch a glimpse walking by. Maybe this is a form of mate guarding? Anyways, I thought it was cool.

Its funny. I have a very similar shot like this here, except I think they're soapberry bugs (again, Im no good at identifying insects, please correct me if I'm wrong)

Bathrooms

As far as bathrooms go, I think my favorite experience so far has been in the downstairs bathroom at the Agrarian Effort co-op. All bathrooms need murals covering their walls. All of them.

Less Clothing

Here is a shot of the clothing swap from the Funkraiser a few weeks ago. It made me realize how much clothing I've given away over the years. Makes me feel pretty good, I like having less stuff.

The Chillage People (debut) TONIGHT

If you're in Davis and looking for something to do tonight, go head over to Tres Hermanas for some killer beats. Get your womp on and dance like you've got no bones! Should be two of my favorite Davis DJs there: spokenbird and DJ odd job (photo above). Check it!

Sickspits at Whole Earth Festival

Here are a few of my favorite shots that I took at the Sickspits peotry/spoken word/rap performance at the Whole Earth Festival this year.

Here is Eden (if i remember her name correctly). She was really great. I ran into her later on in the night and she was full of so much energy; I loved it.

Here is one of my friends, Anthony, reading an extremely well done poem to a captive audience.

This girl, my god...she spilled out everything on the stage. Ended up crying, but stayed up there and continue talking. This was one of the most powerful things that I saw during the weekend.

On another note, my good friend, Mannie, does a lot of the organizing for Sickspits in Davis. There is a poetry slam event tomorrow (Friday the 20th) at the UC Davis Art Annex (aka the Technocultural studies building) that you NEED to go to. Trust me, you'll be sorry if you miss this. It's about to be rad. Heres the facebook event page, yo:

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171508719573561

see you there!

Ribbon Acrobat

Looks like something that I would want to try.

A really breathtaking performance at the Soular Stage at WEF 2011.

Color Me

In Rainbows.

WEF 2011, parachutes and goodbyes.

My Diet

Typically consists of some type of rice: basmati, wild, brown, jasmine w/e

with some type of bean: white, cannelli, brown, black, kidney, garbanzo, pinto

with some types of veggies: carrots, zucchini, squash, bell pepper, tomato, potato, mushrooms of various types, etc

seems to be working for me pretty well

Juggling Again

Recently got back into juggling thanks to Sunday Sol at the UC Davis quad as well as the Whole Earth Festival. Stoked. Why? Cuz its fun. Been sticking mostly to 3-ball stuff. Starting to get into 4 ball sym and asym. Maybe ill go for 5 one day.

This shot was taken on my Pentax MX with expired 400ASA color film. The quality got raped because i had to scan the color prints in. Oh well.

Forgotten Fire

Woops. Forgot to post two photos from fire spinning at Whole Earth Festival.

Here's a good friend of mine, Kimmie, rocking a flaming hoop.

and here is a new friend, Max, spinning staff.

S for Slackline

Slackline Saturdays are becoming tradition and I love it. If you're at the Davis Farmers Market tomorrow, then you have no excuse to not come and chill with us! Seriously though, I'm not sure when we will set up lines tomorrow, likely around 11 or noon, and YOU are more than welcome to join. Hopefully we'll be able to get a few lines up like we have the past few times, it's always a tone of fun. Yeehaw!

By the way, the slackliner in this photo is the one and only Jerry Miszewski. Check out his website, Balance Community, for all your slackline needs.

The Domes Trash and Cob Bench

I cannot wait for this bad boy to be finished. No, really, it'll be amazing and beautiful. So much work has gone into making this cob bench. For those of you who don't know, my boy Brennan Bird has been spearheading this project as a monument to sustainability. The bench has been made entirely by volunteers and mostly students and is made out of mainly cob (an earthen building material from clay, dirt, water, and straw) as well as gravel and portable landfill devices.

The portable landfill devices are an awesome idea and allow people to use their trash instead of just simply throwing it away. The plastic trash is cleaned and compacted into a bottle until the bottle is as hard as a brick; at this point, it can be used for building. This not only creates a practical use for all the things people throw out that cannot be recycled, but also makes people aware of how much trash they really create.

The bench is being built on The Domes property (also known as Baggins End) at UC Davis and if you can, you should definitely come and check it out. I personally have donated my trash and time to this along with dozens of other people.

Also, I posted a little while ago about the Domes having some issues with student housing (see link above) and we have now started an online petition HERE. Please sign it guys! It would really mean a lot. This place has too much history and potential to be demolished!

A Sea of People

Another shot from the Co-ops party last weekend. A short time exposure from the roof of Pierce Haus showing how hectic it got. They all kind of start to blur together. Also, the crazy lights from the stage make for a pretty surreal effect; I hardly did any editing to this photo.

Spinning the Night Away

Some more fun with lights at night. This was at the party at the Co-ops (for WEF and my friend Will's birthday ) last weekend and it was a blast. There was glow poi, light sticks and LED hoops all going at the same time and made for some fun photos. I really should invest in some way to juggle at night...either fire balls or LED balls. ESPECIALLY if I am going to burningman

Fyah! [fire]

Fire dancers from various places.

Interpretive fire dance about the goddess Persephone.

Nick and Adam dual fire poi at the Soular Stage, Whole Earth Festival 2011

Spinners getting ready and lighting up right next to me, I love this photo.

Sara hooping at the Soular Stage at WEF '11

Various fire dancers at Fire U a few weeks ago

Remember to play with fire, kids.

Friends Along the Way

Aint he cute? Almost ran over this little guy a while ago, so we decided to pull over and have a serious talk with him to make sure he would look both ways before he crossed the street.

On a business note: I apologize for not posting too much as of late. I've got a lot of killer photos on my camera just waiting to be uploaded and post-processed, but that takes a lot of time. Sadly, I haven't had a ton of free time lately, but soon! Soon I shall upload them! Likely on Friday, after my mammals test.