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.