A Dashboard Confessional

I haven’t posted since June? JUNE! That’s the entire summer and fall that have gone undocumented. No skate journals, no music picks, no comic reviews, and not even a single rant about a movie. It doesn’t mean nothing hasn’t happened, I just stopped using this blog as an outlet. But I want to get a little more personal since the end of the year is a time of reflection, and this is the best forum for that.

2010 was a fantastic year for me. I started skating again, and I was using Rebus Bubbles as a diary for that experience. While I stopped writing in June, I’m happy to say that I didn’t quit skating until my board broke early in the autumn. My favorite skate memory was cruising around Indianapolis when I was there for Gen Con. Indy was full of awesome spots and no fuzz. I hit some sweet stair sets, ollied a few gaps, and took a few rejuvenating spills. Street skating at its finest.

Gen Con itself was an amazing experience for me. I went as part of GameSalute.com, which was my first paid writing gig. While it was hard work and drove me nuts for a bit, that trip was like a dream come true. A week of living another life. I learned a lot, and I did things that I never thought I could do. I interviewed industry peeps, met some cool people, and I even had to speak publicly during a few panels. Best of all, it gave me a chance to leave my longitude for the first time ever!

I tried to participate in National Novel Writing Month in November, but I failed. I count the failure as a relative success though. While I only got through about a fourth of a novel, I learned a lot about writing and good writing habits. I gave up on the project with a week to go, but then put my efforts towards a short story that I finished with pride.

I’ve done a lot of work on Orphaned Kingdom, my pen and paper RPG, and I’m really happy with where it is going. It might not be the most amazing game when it’s done, but I think it will be something I’ll be proud of. I’m not one to make resolutions, but I really want to finish it in 2011.

My day job has been astonishing as well. I got to fly out to Tampa, and basically spent two days on a beach with a book and Little Big Planet PSP. I ate TONS of barbecue as well. The last day of the trip sucked though because the client finally decided to get down to business and I had no time to get it all done.

Aside from that trip, I also found a few niches at work as the forum administrator and restructuring our documentation. As much as I can be a slacker at times with my normal duties, I love having the opportunity to shine with these other tasks. They give me a lot of space to take the projects where I want, so it’s nice to have the responsibility. But then it makes me dread when the phone rings and I have to go back to my real job as tech support.

I’ve also lost 25 pounds this year, which makes me very proud of myself. You’d be amazed out how often people notice, and how nice it is to catch a compliment here and there. I hope I can lose more weight this year, but I’m mostly glad that I’ve change my habits to give myself a healthier and more active lifestyle.

So 2010 has been an intense and wild year for me, but I loved it. I give mad props to my wife Ashlee for coming along for the ride. This was our first full married year together, and I’m looking forward to 2011 being bigger, better, and more badass.

 

For some reason I was listening to Dashboard Confessional’s Swiss Army Romance while I wrote this. I just needed something chill, and I haven’t listened to the album in a while. I don’t care what anyone says, Dashboard is pretty awesome when the mood suits it.

Sold

I finally bought a new skateboard!

Deck: Clayface (a local brand made from Maine wood, and heavy as bricks).

Trucks: Independents (My first pair of Indy’s. I always rode Destucto, but I decided to give the popular brand a go.)

Wheels: Spitfire (I really wanted Ricta, but a $20 price difference!)

Everything else is pretty miscellaneous. I had to keep costs down because I bought some new shoes. Black Lakai’s, and they are nice and basic aside from the puke red interior.

I gave the board a test run, and it took forever to break in the trucks and get them at a good tightness (without tearing the bushings). I skated in the Nashua park, and I definitely rode better. Not sure if it’s the board or my own skill, but I think it must be a combination.

I did have a gnarly bail though, but a couple dudes there though it was an epic attempt on the lip, so I got some props.

I’d like to thank the dude’s at Eastern Boarder for helping me out too. I don’t read mags religiously like I did in the day, so their advice was invaluable.

Today’s Song: Sold by TSOL

This track is on the compilation album “Punkzilla,” which always was and always will be one of my favorite CDs ever. Almost as important as “Dookie” was in getting me into punk.

Brain Stew

It’s been a month since my last skate diary, and that one was posted a week after I’d written it! It’s okay though, I’ve been busy with other projects. I stopped skating for a few weeks when I  thought my shoes and board were too haggard to skate. Then a buddy asked if I was still skating, and I realized those were dumb excuses. I went skating in my Nike (GASP) running shoes, and I finally learned how to rock and roll to fakie.

See, I’ve never been very good in a half pipe, and that’s always been because I couldn’t do anything backwards. I could revert, but that always hurt my speed. Now that I can rock and come back fakie, I have a wider array of tricks. That would mean nothing if I still skated slower than Jabba the Hutt on a Tech Deck, but I can pump now too.

Now that I can ride vert for more than two tricks, I’ve found the most exhilarating aspect of the style. You get really, really dizzy. It’s like spinning in a circle and not getting sick until you stop. After a run, and I need to take a second to catch my bearings. It’s a blast, and gives a completely different rush than street skating. The adrenaline in street skating comes from seeing how long you can skate until the blues show up.

I still haven’t bought a new board or shoes, so street skating hasn’t worked at all. I have no pop, so my ollies and flips fall flat. It’s better not to be doing to much of that anyways, since my $20 Airwalks are torn to shreds. Usually, the toe of my shoe tears first, but for some reason the bottom of my shoe is coming apart. I have a quarter size hole in the bottom, with only the shoes insert protecting me from the elements. I should stop putting off the equipment upgrade before I hurt myself.

I skated the Windham park today, which is always a risk. It’s the one free park I’ve skated where you can be kicked out for not having a permit. I showed up one day as a kid was being kicked out by some dumb soccer mom, and I waited for her to leave. SHE NEVER LEFT. I’ve been successful in subsequent trips, though, and today was great. I was skating the half pipe (a really mellow three footer), and made a friend. He was just some 12 year old kid whose name I never caught, but we had a good time trading trick tips. He was really excited that I could do 50-50s on the coping, which I don’t find impressive, but he did. It’s always an ego boost when I can impress someone. I had a similar experience in Pelham when some kids called my manuals “sick.”

Yeah, I am awesome now.

Music Recommendation: Brain Stew by Green Day

This is an old song, but a classic. I’ve been having trouble trying to sleep lately, so this song scratches a particular itch I’m having. Green Day Rock Band is coming out in a few weeks too, so I’ve got Green Day on the mind. I listened to American Idiot in one go the other day, and it was heavenly. I’m going to try to hit up NYC this summer to see the Broadway production, and maybe I can stop at that new park they just built there.

Skate Diary 4

This was written about a week ago. I am even more awesome now. -David

It’s been several weeks since the last time I posted a skate diary, but I haven’t given up on skating yet. I’ve been going to parks at least once a week, and I did have to deal with some very rainy days. I’ve even attempted some street skating, but I’m not quite ready for that. Overall my abilities are improving, but I still have a long way to go.

The Lowell and Pelham skate parks have proven to be the best parks to ride. Nashua is fun, but it’s very cliquish.  People skate or bike in crews there, and while they may be friendly, it is difficult to feel like I fit in there. Not mention that the park’s layout doesn’t mesh with my style.

My board is on its last legs, so I went browsing at Eastern Boarder to see what a new complete would cost me. I had a fun chat with the clerk, but it was depressing at the same time. He recommended a bigger board since I am “a bigger dude,” a deck with deeper concave (which would result in better control, but less flip), and bigger wheels for speed. I used to ride 7.25” wide Black Label decks with 51 mm wheels, and he’s recommending an 8” local brand with 55 mm wheels. That’s like going from a motorcycle to a monster truck.

I do agree with the bigger wheels though. Speed has been my big weakness since I started skating again. My wife noticed I am faster than I was a few weeks ago, so that’s nice. Big wheels will be a huge improvement, although it will make the deck heavier. Grinding ledges could be a problem there too, and that’s something I’ve gotten a lot better at.

It sucks that I can’t kickflip for beans now, but my ollies have been getting impressively high. While most of my skills are nowhere near where they used to be, I don’t think I’ve ever pulled my knees as close to my chest as I do now. Ollieing up is turning out pretty sweet, but going down is another problem entirely.

At the building across from my office, there is a sweet stair set off of a loading dock that I’ve always wanted to hit after work. I counted the steps, and four didn’t seem so bad. I’ve thrown myself off bigger in the past. The set was clearly once a favorite of skaters because you could see where a rail had been removed. The stairs were still in place though, so I left my car on, pointed the headlights at the steps (yet poised for a getaway), and got in position. As I rode towards the stairs I panicked and jumped off. I clearly wasn’t ready for this yet. It’s back to the curb for me. Literally. I need to ollie some curbs before I’m ready for stairs.

I’ve recently found some other stair sets in the area, and they seem a lot milder. They are also in areas that seem more unsafe for skating. Rent-a-cop danger, not physical danger. I’ll let you know how it goes next time.

I’ve been listening to a lot of NPR lately, so I don’t have any song picks. But try the Descendants. Keep that in mind — if I don’t recommend a song you should just listen to the Descendants.

Wednesday’s Two Comic Review

It is almost 2 a.m., and I am exhausted. I missed last weeks reviews, however, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint my few, but rabid, fans.

I was sick last Wednesday, so my super heroine of a wife brought home some random comics when she got out of work. They were Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #2, and the latest issue of Wonder Woman. Here are my thoughts, in brief.

I know very little about Green Hornet, barring an episode of the sixties Batman he was featured in, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was great book, and it handles the concept of legacy heroes very well. The basic premise is that the former Green Hornet, Britt Reid, has left his crime fighting days behind to focus on publishing his news paper. He has a strained relationship with his son, who seems to be destined to take up the mantle. Also, Kato is now a chick. I think this might be some of Kevin Smith’s best work since Daredevil, but he hasn’t been known to keep a good release schedule anymore. We’ll probably see issue three by the time the Seth Rogen movie is out.

Wonder Woman had a good prologue featuring the Green Lantern Corps, but was oddly not affiliated with Blackest Night. Once the story focused on Diana, it became a little unbelievable. She fights an alien invasion alone in her city, with no sight or sound from any other supers. This flaw in the story was actually brought up, so it might just be part of the plot.

As for this week, I picked up The Flash Secret Files: Origins 2010, and the first issue of Turf.

Flash was a good primer for the new ongoing. It summarizes Flash: Rebirth, while establishing the other speedsters and the rogues into Barry’s new life. Where I’d expect Barry’s return to push the other Flash’s aside, it looks like they will be more important than ever. While the older comic geeks out there have wanted Barry to return for years, my Flash is Wally, and I’m glad he’s not gone.

Turf is possibly the best comic I have ever read, yet has the most ridiculous premise. It takes place in 1929 NYC, during the prohibition, and the city is described in great detail. This is one of those books where the city is a character. Other characters include a nosy female reporter, a mobster (who may or may not have a heart of gold), Romanian vampires, and alien bootleggers from outer space. Did I mention it was written by the British Letterman, Jonathan Ross?

Turf was a giant book with lots of words. I’m talking Chris Claremont amounts of verbiage. It was a lengthy read, and well worth three clams. I know it sounds like a joke, but you need to check this book out. Especially if you’re a fan of flappers, the Godfather, or scary ass Draculas.

It’s only a five issue miniseries, and I have to wait a long six weeks for the next issue.

You only have to wait one for another comix review!

Wednesday Comic Review: Deadpool vs. X-Factor

Last week was DC heavy, but Marvel picked up the slack today. I could have picked up “The Rise of Arsenal,” but I have no interest in seeing Roy Harper regress 15 years. Instead I bought X-Factor # 203 and Deadpool # 21.

I was reading Peter David’s latest run of X-Factor a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it for its super-powered private eye theme. It leaned more and more towards being just another X-book book, though, which was disappointing. There were too many shadowy villains, and too much time travel. This month’s issue wasn’t too different.

It started out well at first. Monet was captured while trying to rescue her father, so Guido sets out to rescue the both of them. Guido is one of those characters that makes a book golden when it focuses on him, but I can take or leave Monet. Guido had some great scenes as he tried to earn an audience with the South American drug lord, Señora Piernas. They have the kind of conversation that makes X-Factor a great detective book, but then the story moves back to Monet as we find out that the big baddy is….buh buh buhhhhhm….Baron Mordo!

I can’t remember who that is, and honestly I didn’t really care to find out. In the end, this could have just been an alright Strong Guy miniseries, but I think I’d like to wait for another storyline or two to pass before I try this again. At least, I have the urge to pick up some of the older trades.

Deadpool was more rewarding, thanks to lower expectations. Not that I think Deadpool is bad, but all I really expect out of the Merc with a Mouth are laughs and bullets. This month’s issue provided plenty. A monkey doesn’t hurt either.

This was the concluding chapter of Deadpool’s team-up with Spider-Man. Deadpool wants to be a real hero now, and who could he learn from but the best? While learning the ropes from Spider-Man, DP’s also being pursued by the fearsome Hit-Monkey!

Spidey gets shot, DP drops the kids off at Peter’s pool, and there is a monkey explosion. Absolutely worth three dollars. Carlo Barberi does a great job with the art, but he draws ‘Pool and Spidey about the same. That’s a little weak when their costumes are so similar. Peter Parker doesn’t need a tree trunk for a neck.

I’m really hoping next week will provide something good from an indie publisher. I almost picked up Mark Millar’s Nemesis #1 (boldly proclaiming that it makes Kick-Ass look like shit), but flipping through it looked too much like Irredeemable.  Basically if Irredeemable is Superman gone bad, then Nemesis is Batman gone crooked. It wasn’t very special. Maybe next week I’ll pick up one of the million Obama comics like Barack the Barbarian, Obamouse, or Michelle Obama: Year One.

Don’t Let the Bastards Grind You Down

Southern New Hampshire is a terrible place to live if you enjoy true street skating, but there is a surprising abundance of skate parks in the area. This weekend I skated the Pelham, Hudson, and Nashua parks, and I love how each one is a different experience.  While the spots here may not be ideal, at least there is variety.

I only stopped at the Pelham park for a a short while, but that was enough time to take a couple of hard spills. I tried to 50-50 a small ledge when my board decided it want to flip out of the grind. While I didn’t agree with what my board wanted, I wasn’t able to hop off before I landed primo and fell backwards onto my elbow. I rode for a few more minutes with my arm bleeding, and then went to meet my wife for our date. Chicks dig flesh wounds.

I stopped at Quizno’s to get sandwiches and wash up. The funny thing about hurting yourself while skating (and this applies to all sports really), is that it increases your already high adreneline. When your adreneline is peaking, and you decide to just get sandwich, it leaves that extra energy with no outlets. The girls at Quizno’s must have thought I was on crack.

“Can we help you?”

“YesI’llhaveasmallChickenCarbonaraandaPestoTurkeyBullet.”

“Mushrooms okay?”

“Whatummyeahmushroomsaregoodyesmushrooms. Pleasandthankyou.”

Saturday was an adventure just getting to the park. I was told there was a park in Hudson, so I got the address after looking it up online. I hopped in the car and set my GPS to 39 South St, but apparently, South St didn’t exist. I did what I always do when I’m lost, and just drove around until I found it. I got lucky, but I have to admit, that it seemed like false advertisement. The pics on that site make it look like there’s a ton of pools and concrete ramps, but when I got to the park I saw that it was small, full of metal ramps, and very, very purple. I realized later that the website was for Hudson, MASSACHUSETTS, and I am a giant jackass.

The park is actually made by a company called SkateWave. They create modular ramps for skate parks, and by modular I mean that the ramps can be moved however you wish. It was cool to see a bunch of kids start dragging ramps around to create gaps. It was a really fun park, but unfortunately I still wasn’t skating well. I had an awful time getting any air off any of the kickers, but I was able to ride a makeshift half-pipe successfully. Usually, I’m not able to maintain enough momentum to ride for more than a pass or too.

Momentum was my biggest problem on Sunday, but I wouldn’t have noticed it on my own. My wife came with me to the Nashua park and watched me be generally underwhelming. I thought I was rolling pretty well until my wife mentioned that everyone else was a lot faster than me. As if that wasn’t harsh enough, she surmised that it must be because they all so much thinner than me! I decided to blame it on bearings which are full of crud.  A look at my bearings showed they are actually covered in gunk, so I think it’s a plausible enough theory.

After some time, we decided to leave the park when she noticed I was out of breath. It sounds like she was being really mean, but it was all the truth. I need to get into shape, and that’s really what this is all about. It was great having her around to show me what I needed to work on. I’m going to keep at it, and soon enough I’ll be more fit. I’m never going to be a tiny little kid again, but I think new bearings will solve my speed problems. In fact, a whole new board will solve most of my issues. Nothing guarantees success in this country more then spending cash!

Track of the Day:

Don’t Let the Bastards Grind You Down by “The Toasters.”

Beautiful spring days are always improved with ska, and this song always works to motivate me when I feel like, ahem, the bastards are grinding me down.

Wednesday’s Two Comic Review

I’m trying a new column on Rebus Bubbles this week. I’m going to review two new comics every Wednesday, which will serve two purposes: 1) I can write about comics, and b) I have an excuse to keep buying comics! This week’s books are Green Arrow #31 and Brave and the Bold #32.

Green Arrow #31 begins a new story arc, “The Fall of Green Arrow,” and it picks up after the end of the “Cry for Justice” miniseries. Ollie did the big no-no in the superheroing business when he put an arrow in a villain’s face, and now has to contend with his colleagues while trying to keep the peace in a Star City in peril.

The book is a good jumping on point, giving a brief history of the character and his relation to the city, but it feels like a Batman book because of it. In every other issue of Batman you are reminded of Bruce Wayne’s origin, and that’s how it feels here. It doesn’t help the comparison when the human Green Arrow takes on the superpowered Green Lantern, Flash, and Black Canary (who maybe doesn’t have powers now – it’s hard to keep track), but it’s a cool fight anyways. It reminded me of the classic fights between Batman and Superman in the Dark Knight Returns. It’s hard to avoid the comparisons between Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne when they are two of the only DCU heroes with no powers.

The story hits all the points you’d want to see in a deconstruction of a character. There are plenty of good fights, you’re reminded of what makes Ollie tick, and there are  great one-liners. One of the best lines comes from the recently resurrected Flash, Barry Allen, when he says that he never understood why the Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, was friends with Ollie. It’s well known that Hal is buddies with both Barry and Ollie, but I never realized that Barry and Ollie didn’t get along. This adds a neat dimension to Barry’s resurrection that will keep future Flash stories interesting.

I was disappointed to see Black Canary dropped from the title. “Green Arrow/Black Canary” had a unique premise for a superhero book, but I understand DC’s motives. Most readers would prefer lone hero angst over marital bickering. This could make it a story that’s worth keeping tabs on, but I’m also wary due to its familiarity. Yet, the character of Oliver Queen has an unpredictable personality, and most writers seem to be able tap into that. I think J.T. Krul has set his stage well for the emerald archer’s most memorable story since Kevin Smith resurrected him last decade.

Brave and the Bold was a more straightforward read. I picked it up because of two names on the cover. J. Michael Straczynski and The Demon. I’ll buy anything with their names on it. Since Brave and the Bold is a team-up book, Etrigan’s partner in this adventure was none other than Aquaman. Since Arthur Curry has been dead for several years, I was eager to read a story that would prove why we should miss the king of the sea. I think I’m one of the few people who actually respect Aquaman.

JMS tapped into his inner Lovecraft for this story. Where else would you go for material when pairing a heroic demon from Hell with the guardian of the ocean? It was a fun read, with great art and an interpretation of Cthulhu that will make even the most veteran of Mythos fans take a second look.

There’s not too much else to the say about the book, it was just an issue of the Brave and the Bold after all, but it was a relief considering that the rest of this week’s options didn’t entice me. There was also a short preview of Geoff John’s new Flash ongoing series. Although it was only four pages, I do have a few opinions.

There was a subtle joke about Barry’s bowtie, and those are always worth a laugh. It came in a text from Barry to Iris, however, and that seemed like a missed opportunity to me. I could see Wally texting Linda while chasing after bank robbers, but a guy who has been dead since before the advent of cell phones could comically be out of touch with technology. It’s a nit-picky comment, but it made me stop and think that maybe Johns isn’t capitalizing on the differences between Barry and Wally as much as he should.

Speaking of Wally, I think that is going to be the most jarring part of this transition for me. Wally is my Flash, just as Kyle Rayner was my Green Lantern. When Hal was resurrected, I was ok with it because there has always been room for more Green Lanterns. The Flash is more restrictive though. Jay Garrick is still around, but he’s unique. You can’t confuse Jay’s tin pan helmet with the red tights of the Flash outfit. When Barry and Wally are wearing the same uniform, where do you draw the line? And we’ve been reading Wally’s adventures for twenty years now, who really wants to see him relegated to the Titans and guest appearances? Are we going to see something similar happen to Dick Grayson once Bruce Wayne is back from “the dead?”

I have no idea what I’m going to talk about next week, since I like being surprised when I walk into the shop. I’m going to try to steer myself towards some indy books or Marvel, but no promises.

Jigsaw Falling Into Place

I mentioned in my last post that the Nashua skate park was great for sidewalk surfing, and that became a reality today. The clouds looked threatening when I left my apartment this morning, but I figured the weather would hold. By the time I made it to the park, there was a light drizzle. After skating for an hour, I couldn’t skate a single line without rolling through a puddle.

I kept through it, and I was amazed at how well I was handling the speed and transitions. I even got manuals down well. I focused more on riding than tricks, but carving was tough since my trucks were so tight. I had a good flow after a while, which helped build my confidence.

My confidence was briefly shattered, however, when a kid came over to chat with me. I never understood why people insist on talking to you when you’re wearing headphones, but whatever. He asked me if I just started skating. I’ve been skating for a decade now. Sheesh.

Technically, I am starting again, but it still hurt. I explained to him that I skated a lot in high school, I just started picking it up again. “I’m the creepy old dude at the skate park,” I told him. He suggested I didn’t look much older than him and his crew, which would have flattered a middle-aged woman, but threw my best defense out the window. Then his mom picked him up.

I think everything is coming together well. I can see myself getting back to my peak if I keep up the hard work, but going beyond that is going to be tough. I still need to build my confidence so I can commit to tricks outside my limits. I’m going to try and skate in Pelham for a bit tomorrow, and then I’ll be at Lowell all week.

(Song of the Day)

My Zune had a thing for Lou Reed today, but the best tune that came on was Radiohead’s “Jigsaw Falling Into Place.” It has a fast pace while still being mellow. It’s a great song to listen to when I was just riding around the park.

Stiff Little Fingers

A year ago, I started this personal blog to write things that don’t fit anywhere else. I planned to write quite a few pieces, including a series about skateboarding after some time off. Not only did I never bother writing anything about it last year, but I abandoned my skateboard as well. It’s another year and another spring, so let’s try for round two, shall we?

I’m only twenty-four, but sometimes I feel older than I should. After a few minutes on my board I lose breath, my legs become numb, and it feels like my limbs refuse to accept any orders given to them. My exercise these past few years has been limited to the first few weeks of March when I decided to pick up my board again. Eleven months is a long time to go with little exercise.

So now it’s March of 2010, and it is time for another skate season. I’ve been putting a lot of effort into skating this past week, and I’ve spent at least a few minutes a day this week at skate parks. This first week was rough, but it shows promise. My first day was spent retraining my balance, and testing some ollies and flip tricks while standing still. As I got more comfortable I was able to kickflip while moving, which is a great barometer of my retained skill, and I began making goals for myself at each park.

Every skate park is different, so my style adapts to each location. In my hometown of Pelham, NH, the skate park features a few angled ramps and a small funbox that provides me with a small manual pad. Last year, as well as the year before that, I spent most of my time at the larger funbox, but that area was crowded with bikers on the day I was there. I decided to try two lines using the same ramps from two different directions.

I’d start my first line on the small drop-in ramp, ride up on to the manual pad, and kick flip off of it. The second line would be to come back from the other end to either manual across the pad, or 180 onto it. I’d finish the line with a shuv-it or 180 back at the drop-in.

The second line wasn’t much of a challenge, and I was able to mix it up on the fly each time. I was still inconsistent with landings, but it was a good sign nonetheless. The latter challenge, however, is going to be my mission this year. I was never competent in flipping on or off of things, and any prior successes are notable if only because of their rarity. I spent the majority of my efforts attempting to kick-flip off the box, and I came close enough times to give myself hope for the season.

The park in Lowell, MA is close to my office, so it’s easy to hit it up after work or even on my lunch break. This park is filled with mini-ramps and quarter pipes, but everything still has a heavy street focus. Rails and ledges are something that the Pelham park lacks, so Lowell gives me an opportunity to practice grinds. But by the time I started going to the Lowell park, our early glimpse at warm weather was starting to recede. Thanks New England. My body started feeling old again, and tricks I thought I had down were slipping away. The fact that Lowell’s pavement is a death trap wasn’t helping either. This park had a slightly higher manual pad, but not by much. If you asked my knees, though, they may have given you the impression that the ledge was six feet tall. I worked through the cold, and I learned to compensate for the large crack that appeared a moment before I needed to ollie (I’m going to try to post a picture of it — Bond villains never presented 007 with anything so risky). I still need some time to figure out what I want to do once I get on the pad, but getting up on it consistently is the first building block.

I’ll probably go to the Pelham park again this weekend, but I’m going to give Nashua, NH a shot as well. I’ve only been to it a few times in my unimpressive career because it’s mostly large, concrete transitions. Some people call skating “sidewalk surfing,” and the Nashua park is the closest I’ve seen to concrete waves. Vert has always been daunting for me, which leads me to my number one goal for this year: learning to pump. Pumping is my greatest weakness on a skateboard, and it’s why I always prefer street skating.

So, this isn’t bad as my first skate diary of the year, and hopefully it won’t be the last. If I can force myself to go to the park everyday, then I can force myself to write about it when I come home.

(BONUS)

With each of these articles, I’m going to mention a song that should be on everyone’s skate playlist, as well as give each article a title relating to the song. Since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, I’ve chosen “Alternative Ulster” by Irish punk rockers, Stiff Little Fingers. Check it out, it is old school and rad.

PEACE!