Influential Hauntings

I grew up in a haunted house. Built in 1774 in Newburyport, Massachusetts my childhood home was kind of spooky. I used to hate watching TV by myself on the third floor, a converted attic that my dad made into a tv room and office space. I always felt like I had to have my back to the wall. If I sat in the middle of the room with my back exposed I felt really weird and didn't like it.
I have alot of stories about weird shit that has occurred in my house but that's not what this post is about. I was very saddened to learn that a good person Chris Moschetto, had passed away yesterday. We weren't super tight by any means. I hadn't talked to him in years but he was somewhat influential to me as a young boy. He was one of the first "cool" kids I came across in elementary school. He was older than me and like me had an affinity for comic books and I don't know if he stuck with it or not, but he was one of the first people I came across in my life that owned a skateboard and who had a genuine and rebellious spirit at a very young age. For whatever reason Chris looked out for me in elementary school. I guess he thought I was cool too.
We lost touch over the years and I know he went through some rough times as we all have relative to our own lives, but Chris had battled some serious demons and bested them and I was happy to see via facebook that he was doing well and had a family. I didn't friend request him or whatever because I wasn't sure if he would remember me or care, but that was lame and I should have because now he's gone. In the last 24 hours or so I've lurked on his facebook page which has been flooded with prayers and good vibes from his family and countless friends. It's not hard to tell that he was a very intelligent and sensitive person. I'm certain he would've remembered me and accepted my cyber friendship. I bet he would've been very interested in my parents' haunted house, as he became a paranormal investigator.
I wanted to post these lyrics I wrote for a Shakin' Michael J song. The first verse was kind of inspired by the house I grew up in. The song got reworked with different lyrics after I left the band, but I was very hyped on it at the time and I didn't want them to fall by the wayside, so in tribute to Chris Moschetto and his tenacity and perseverance with his personal life and E.N.E.M.I., here are the lyrics to "Seen It Comin", as it was once titled. Cheers CJ, thanks for being a true soul.

Anne was a good girl she was fourteen years old Had love for her family always did what she was told
One nite she went upstairs she was looking for her father but he wasn’t there her father never bothered
Her old man was drinkin’ down the docks he was cheating on the family and keeping them on rocks
Sitting on his desk she saw a title with her name it startled her so she dropped her candle with its flame
The room became inferno it was more than she could handle she eyed the open window it all made sense

She saw it coming but she still had to jump

Henry made his money as a hustler and a con he did some evil deeds that he always knew were wrong
One nite he got lit up and he got into a fight and he shot a man dead but it gave him a fright
Because he recognized his face when he saw it in the light he was heavily connected a crew Henry crossed
Henry tried to leave town but they were waiting at the station and they beat his ass down with no hesitation
Henry smiled up with a mouth full of blood and a twinkle in his eye before the shotgun thud

He saw it coming he couldn’t help but smile

Standing still nothing you can do see it coming straight for you
feel the chills but you don’t move see it headed straight for you
Run for the hills rent a motel room see it coming straight for you
no matter what you say or do it’s still headed straight for you

Bowling For Ballard

Skatepark Etiquette/Universal Wisdom

Instruction Manual For Life: Have Fun. Don't Be A Jerk

Sharing Dicks With Alyssa

Whooeee! Saturday night was a good one. I might not work at the trendiest, busiest bar in town, but anytime I can make my money and walk out of the bar before 2AM, I am hyped. Plus it was my homie Alyssa's birthday (well, 4/20 pre-funk actually her birthday is today, Earth Day, but I met up with her and some other pals to celebrate on Saturday). I met them at a bar in Capitol Hill and snagged a ginger ale. After we left the bar and headed up the hill it was revealed that Alyssa had never eaten at Dicks so we decided to scratch that one off the Emerald City bucket (fuck it?) list. The scene at Dicks on Capitol Hill is a vibrant one to say the least (it's referenced in heavy detail in the Sir-Mix-Alot classic "My Posse's On Broadway"). Some crusties were busking, frat boys were being fratty, hoes were hoeing it up, etc. All in line to cram some horrible/wonderful fast food into their faces after an evening of consuming America's favorite poison, alcohol. When we got to the window to place our order the clerk commented on how she liked the bamboo terrarium thingy I happened to be holding, which was a gift that one of Alyssa's friends had bestowed upon her. I told her that it was actually Alyssa's and Alyssa didn't miss a beat in offering it unto the chick at the window. All were stoked. Lys tends to live life to the fullest in the moment and I was really impressed (though not surprised) with her generosity and rad spirit (on her birthday celebration no less). The girl was also hyped and she didn't make us pay for ketchup, which is a huge win in the Dicks consumption game. Then we huddled in a nearby doorway and crammed some dicks down our throats.

Life's a party if you want it to be

Gotta do it

Dicks don't necessarily go down easy

A feast of fools Alive she cried

Don't act like you haven't done it

Milkshake's way better with the addition of Wild Turkey

The Bridge Project

My Uncle John has always been a rad dude. Adventurer, builder, sailor, father, uncle, and friend. He is building a bridge in rural Panama for schoolchildren and I am very proud and inspired. Not everyone in the world is concerned with bombs and sports logos.

http://youtu.be/Yqf1SFbR-64

If I May...

Let the disinformation and misinformation begin. We will likely NEVER know what happened at the Boston Marathon, regardless of what ANY official and/or media organization tells us. Have we learned nothing as a populous after 9/11? Apparently not. Put a flag on your car to show that you're one of the good guys and go back to your twitter account. Anyone that thinks that we will have a Marathon suspect caged, tried and brought to justice in a neat little packaged timeline is an imbecile with a linear-patterned brain. I'm not making any claims as to have any insight here, I just wish that my fellow citizens would put down the pacifiers and wake up to the fact that anything is possible in this day and age. It is a very scary reality to face and understand that those that govern us don't necessarily have our best interests and public safety at the core of their agenda. And that is certainly not to say that "they" are out to get us. But I beg you, please consider any and all possibilities and that ANYONE is capable of lying in this scenario, and most likely is. These attacks don't make sense, right? They seem inconceivable. And so how could the background expected to be forthright and clear cut? There is a huge difference between reality and what we want to believe and I think that we as a country and as individuals could benefit from discerning the difference. And now back to skateboarding... (That's all you want to hear from me, right?)

Sucknology Manifesto

I'm a little bit worried about us humans. Technology is making us weak, indifferent, uncreative and complacent among many other things. Of course I'm writing these very words on a laptop computer and I've already sent several text messages on my iPhone this morning (including one attempt at *facetime), but I'd be lying if I said it didn't all make me feel a little empty inside. Now don't get me wrong, technology is awesome for communicative and entertainment purposes (last night I watched Tombstone in its entirety on youtube, for example), but dating? I don't care how lonely I get I'm just not doing the online dating thing. I see it as another step towards the de-evolution of the human species. The more we depend on technology, the less we depend on each other, and that can't be good. Our global community consists of hot links and quick stops on the information superhighway whereas a real community is filled with actual flesh and blood people in actual real locales sharing ideas, stories, love, etc. So what happened? And more importantly at this point, where is the balance between embracing the technology and maintaining a human to human element in our lives? I don't know but I really wanted to talk about it (on my blog and of course the irony is not lost). More than one of my usual skate or music posts which ultimately aren't saying very much, I would love to start a conversation with this one and exchange some ideas, because I'm sure there are many different perspectives on this situation, but it does have to be addressed, no doubt. I guess being aware of the danger of a detached homogenized online society is a big step, but I am truly worried about those who can't see that blurred line and from time to time I am one of them, aimlessly trolling facebook in the wee hours of the morning, sending a text to an old flame--it makes me feel like shit and I'm sure I can't be alone. What do YOU think?

Ride Report

It had been about 13 months since I went snowboarding. I thought I was kinda over it. There'd be times I'd be snowboarding and I'd be like, "this is just not skating." Whatever, that was negativity talking. Went up to Mt. Baker over the weekend and I am hyped. Everybody up there was in such a good mood and so friendly. Nary a snow bro in sight. People were there because they wanted to be there and the vibe was infectious. Full on February conditions on April 7th and the terrain at Baker itself is very gnarly. Just going there and not getting served up was very inspiring indeed. Don't have any photos or videos of my experience so this is somewhat of a gush-post, but it was an excellent day and I just want to say I'm hyped. A little late in the season, but I'm already scheming on my next trip. Sometimes it feels really good to be wrong...

CSFU Review

I got over being bummed on Thrasher Magazine. I was a little upset with The Bible a few days ago or so. I had renewed my subscription with the free t-shirt option. I believe this is eleventh time I have done so, so I have alot of Thrasher t-shirts. I wrote them a little note with my renewal asking if it were possible to get a different t-shirt (specifically the "use a skate go to prison" shirt. I let them know that I was going to trial the following Tues.) All the shirts are priced the same and I thought it wouldn't be a big deal for them to hook up a long time subscriber like myself, particularly when I had alluded to my legal predicament. So I was a little crestfallen when in spite of my note I received a standard white "Thrasher Skateboard Magazine" t-shirt in the mail the other day, of which I already have several. Did my letter mean nothing, is Thrasher really that corporate? I wondered. I was also kind of pissed because I didn't expect to get a magazine for 6-12 weeks which meant that I was going to miss out on the May issue which includes the new Creature video,CSFU, unless I bought it on the newsstand.
Well I'm glad that for whatever reason the May issue showed up in my mailbox a few days after that (with the video) and now I'm hyped again. (I'll just cut the sleeves off an older shirt and rock my new crispy one) Anyway here's a review of the video...
The first thing I noticed was the music. The first song is a rap song. What? Is this a Creature video? Don't get me wrong, I love the rap but I thought it was sort of a shocker for the most metal brand in skateboarding to set off their new flick with rap music. But what really matters is the skating and obviously these dudes are all destroying everything in their path.

Willis Kimbel at Burnside

Jon Hanks at Burnside

Obviously this squad is inspired by horror movies and the filming and editing, much of it captured in grainy "Creature Lo-Def" really achieves the feel of say Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But what's even cooler than the editing gimmicks is the spots chosen: bloody pools, rusty coping, Kona crust, ditches, freeways and waterslides. Navarrette somehow even manages to bring the spook to crispy spots like the Vans Park and Bucky's Rockstar Bowl. I also noticed that the spooky aesthetic is maintained through using clips with mostly dark, gloomy and overcast weather. Maybe they just filmed in the Northwest a bunch, but still the final product is crusty gloom, far from the sunny skies of say the new Bones video.
Speaking of the Northwest, it's always cool/depressing to see the pros shred spots I've skated...
See what I mean by depressing? Oh well. Like I said it's also cool to know that I've gotten my meager licks in at some legendary parks.
And yeah Kimbel's part is insane. He eats Portland's Pier park alive, among other spots. Feeble/Smith combos and a NBD fakie nosegrab invert in the deep deep. Gnar tech to the core!
They got a "new" old dude on the squad by the name of Scissors. His style is so smooth yet janky. I love it! And it is super cool to see the Creature dudes at Tony Hawk's Birdhouse ramp. One Love!
What else...Where's Heddings and Horn? Dunno but we did get a part from Truman Hooker, where he boardslides a chain! Stu Graham slams hard and emerges triumphant, Al Partanen front blunts on a waterslide from stories above (not to mention skates on the freeway), Ryan Reyes rallies, Gravette backflips, Hitz destroys Washington St. and Navarrette has tailblock/rollout combos for days. If anything in the previous sentence is intriguing or even makes sense, go check the fucking video. It's free in this month's Thrasher. I back them again now.

Call-Of-Rad-Oh!

Colorado is an amazing place. I once told someone that the Highest State wasn't really my vibe because it seemed like everyone was spoiled--zorched in the sunshine eating pussy and smoking weed. I was hating, but why? That actually sounds kind of awesome. Sure, snowboarding is for the bourgeoisie, but it's still fun and honestly skateboarding is going off in Colorado right now, like Washington, but without the rain.
Anyway I recently had the pleasure of driving through Colorado (I thought I was gonna maybe move to Denver but the Emerald City is an alluring mistress) and if I had hit up every skatepark I wanted to along the way, I'd still be there. So here's a little video timeline of that particular day when I briefly skated Loveland, Windsor and Ft. Collins.

Loveland-I showed up at 8am or so and eventually got some cigarette huffing high schooler to film my cruddy line...

Then it was on to Windsor. I was by myself but like the genius I am I filmed myself skating. Pop a Dramamine before viewing...

So once I got to Ft. Collins (which might be the best park I've ever been to) I was inclined to showcase its gnarly glory by doing a little video tour on my iPhone. Trouble was I was busy looking through the viewfinder and not real life, I unwittingly put my foot on my stick and ate shit, cracking my phone. The old me would've thrown a temper tantrum but life is short and sometimes you gotta laugh at yer own blunders...

A Real ShitShow

Went down to the Fremont Market to say what up to my friend Court at his booth today before work. Scored a rad t-shirt, but that's not the point of this particular post. Before skating over the bridge from Fremont to South Lake Union it was decided that I had to take a piss and Court felt the same way about the contents of his bladder so we hit up the Peet's coffee shop on Fremont Ave.

Where the shit went down

Peet's seems like a hotbed for homeless dudes and other wayfarers to do their business. Like Starbucks, the bathrooms are free and anyone can use them without being hassled into buying a coffee or even hounding the counter staff for a key.
It was a fairly busy day in Fremont so there were a few people that had the same idea of using these particular restrooms as us. We walked in and found that the men's room was occupied which was no big deal except we started to hear the toilet flush a number of times while we waited.

Not the culprit

"There's probably some homeless dude taking a gnarly shit in there", Court commented.
It was a 1 person bathroom so we really had no choice but to wait. We had already come so far and I really didn't want to skate all the way to my j-o without taking a piss first. While we waited and the flushing continued several females came and went from the ladies' room. Court decided that he had had enough and let me know that I was up next for the men's room and that his intention was to use the ladies' at its next available occupancy, social norms be damned. He just didn't want to be involved with the men's room after whatever was going on in there had concluded.
No sooner had he staked his claim on the ladies' room when another chick came and used her gender-appropriate lavatory, barring Court from his mission. Then a dude came up and got in line behind us. (Actually he first asked us if we were waiting in line before I sarcastically replied that No, we were just hanging out by the restroom in Peet's)

Coulda been any one of 'em

Anyway one final flush rumbled from the men's room and it was finally my turn. (Court had forgone his place in line when he unsuccessfully laid claim to the ladies' room) And who finally walked out of that men's room? Not the stinky hobo that we were expecting to see, but a female! And not a homeless female or even a crusty gutter punk chick, but just a regular twenty-something gal. I didn't get the best look at her face because she bolted down the stairs (presumably embarrassed #1 at coming out of the men's room and #2 at all the flushing and subsequent stench she created), but judging by her clothes and physique it was safe to say that she was just a regular gal that wandered in to use the restroom on a day of window shopping in the market with her boyfriend or whatever. I imagined her man patiently waiting, sipping an iced coffee while his babe repeatedly flushed the contents of her guts away in the men's room.
When we saw her come out, Court and I looked at each other in shock. A girl! Holy Shit! I had to put the humor of the situation coupled with my vague social outrage aside and head in and take my piss because I was finally up and I didn't want to be late for work.

(Photographic Re-Enactment)

I wish that I were writing this in the future, at a time when smartphones will have a sensory component to them, allowing users to document smells as well as images and videos, because there really is no way for me to describe what it smelt like in there. My eyes were watering. I've smelt all kinds of shit in my day: sweet shit, sour shit, old shit, new shit, baby pooh, etc., but I ain't never smelled no shit like this before! The closest thing I could say it smelled like was halitosis, or what is more commonly known as epicly chronic bad breath, however it was most assuredly shit. How could such a little lady emit such a scent? I had no time to really ponder as I quickly pissed and and flushed the handle of the toilet with my Chukka Low. Not a chance in hell that I was sticking around to wash my hands or smooth my eyebrows over in the mirror or anything like that. I burst out of that bathroom so fast, I nearly kissed the ground at Court's feet I was so happy that the experience was over. We were fucking dying with laughter.
My original intention was to get a coffee on the way out. Nope. Wasn't gonna happen.
Can you imagine if Court or I had ended poaching the ladies' room in a similar situation? Can you imagined if we had poohed?
I can't believe she got away with that shit...