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.