Monday, December 21, 2009

Colorado (intense snowboard action!)/city snowscapes

locked and loaded with only the essentials. Denver or bust!




finally time to board. we were flying with Woody!

in flight entertainment center to get us stoked



civilization from 30,000 feet

touchdown at Denver International. I finally got to see the murals! bring on the apocalypse.

as usual Jeremy and Lisa were beyond gracious hosts. quesadilla night was top notch and mucho appreciated.

bright and early the next morning. taking it to the mountains for some moose hunting.

my view from steerage

Fort Collins park was covered


Jer never let a little thing like that get in the way of a session though


the second park had a slight dusting as well


no worries. we found an open tranny and the session was on!





Matt with an ollie fakie to death! (unless you were in my bedroom in 1992 you won't get that reference)


as you can see, the ledge was clear too


after the parks it was into the mountains for some snowshoeing on Long Draw (aka Long John) Road.



this is the first place of many where we abandoned all rules of safety. "How thick is that ice?" "Dunno. Let's walk on it and find out."



Jer negotiates the way down




setting up for the group shot


this set us back about an hour. as mom says though, it's all about building memories.



Allison's gorilla pod proves it's worth over and over again


the hunt was a success! meet Marty.

headed back towards civilization for some much needed dinner

crazy how the weather changes in just a little lower elevation

haha



all i wanted was a sunset pic in the mountains. this was the closest i got all week though.

I ain't complaining though




loading up provisions for the week! hats off to the Millers for making sure we didn't go hungry.

pit stop at Breckenridge. I must have acclimated much quicker this year. last year I was downing 3 bottles of water a day on the slopes. this year i only took a few sips.



time to take it to the trees


Lisa says, "Follow me pussies." this run proved to be the death of my jacket. more on that in a bit.




everybody gets their snaps in on the lift

day 2 was in the books and it was time to check out our digs for the next 3 days. we've come a long way since our days at Budget Beach.

off to market for some supplies

back in the kitchen the Millers!

cheese, cheese and more cheese tortellini. red and white sauce.

with dinner in the oven it was off to the open roof 'cuzzi. (this would become a nightly tradition)

our towels became useless in minutes

back to the condo. let's eat!

remember Lisa's tree run? well here's what my jacket looked like when I came out of the woods.

5 minutes later it was obviously good as new!

the view out our window totally sucked!

Lisa being the kind hearted soul she is offered to give my jacket a once over with her travel sewing kit. I was fine with the duct tape but she insisted. thanks again Lisa.


no real night life for this crew. we were bushed by 7:30 pretty much every night



a freshly rested Jeremy was manning the griddle by 6am.

our view was even worse in the morning. ugh, pull the shades will ya?

"first" chair at Vail



under the wire. this crew only rolls OB. (that's "out of bounds" to you rule followers out there)

always



Matt finds his stash

call your drop




you gotta pay to play. ps where's the closest Sniffle Station?


I usually only drink Artisian water but when you're deep in the woods, you gotta make some exceptions.

carbonite


last run of the day we took through the U-Jump


as we were leaving we ran into some vicious hounds!


i think she hated me

later that night, Jer cozied up with one of T. Hanks' finest. (this could actually be my fave shot of the trip)

remember this pic? ( if you don't it's from here: http://theseourwasteddays.blogspot.com/2008/05/get-in-van-denver-to-portland-04-or-05.html )

well we obviously had to go back

next day it was off to Copper Mountain






Jer and Matt waiting to drop

no doubt about it, Jer's go-to is stale

indy 3. done and done


box session



Matt went the distance on this fs/boardslide



untracked



guns were blazin'




lounging. turn up the BNL and the jacuzzi while you're at it.

seeing these 2 in the kitchen quickly became one of my favorite sights. it meant we were in for some serious eating.

quesadilla night round 2! this time with fresh avacados. (and ice cream)

this is where i spent my evenings

early morning news. (read the bottom, this is where we were headed today. anybody got a spare beacon?)



I asked Jer what the secret was to his breakfast burritos

"proper attire"

morning stretches. direct quote, "I leave no hit unhit"

locked and loaded at the L&J. if you go there ask for Chuckles.





consider that angle poached

Loveland Pass


find your line



I'm leaving on a jet stream


here's my view from the peak of the troops dropping in

away they go. see you at the bottom




tree wally? why not?

Lisa and Matt call their drops


road to Dushanbe! movie? (by now you should know it's gonna be one of three flicks)


mid Loggins

a cross bone method from 5 miles away


the chute before the kicker



this tree drop was fun

what's a group pic at the continental divide without some tom foolery?

matt couldn't decide which nosepick he liked better. (i had the same problem choosing my handstand)

had to keep Jim updated on the L&J situash


Denver park that same night! sssssick.



boardslides for days

flight left Denver at 11. still time for a session at the Aurora park though.



then it was up to Larry to bring us back east. thanks to the Millers for everything. see you next year. first chair obviously.

caught another sunset on the return trip. well, kind of


I see my roof

2 days later it was off to the mall with Kyle and Dave

have you ever seen 2 more excited holiday shoppers?

swabbing the ice rink


I'm getting there


back in the city Angus and Ophelia enjoyed the winter wonderland



I was stranded in Fishtown for the night. I enjoyed my stroll from Nigro's to sofa city on Memphis.




managed to drive back to south philly the next morning. here's the view out my front door

then since I had nothing to do and it was such a nice day i figured i'd just throw the boots back on and walk back to Johnny Brenda's for a donut.


unless you were on a main street you were pretty much fucked






It's a Wonderful Life at the piazza was standing room only



I loved this view of the city from the old spot

like rats in a cage

Monday, December 7, 2009

city wanderings/Negative Approach

tying to get rid of a lingering sickness. not working

bike ride sights



Adam's next visit we're recreating Goya's Third of May









Saint Jude was priced to move!

Hester Mofet

"Scared at first, then exhilarated."





Negative Approach. my bucket list just got one line shorter.














Don wasn't afraid to get involved

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

the woods/Adam's sojourn/Brian's canoe

first off, a plug for the bro. anyone who knows my brother Brian knows he can build anything...ANYTHING. 90% of the time his material of choice is wood. (my current apartment is furnished almost exclusively in his handiwork and you can peep his canoe progress later in this post.) anyway, he started putting some stuff online for purchase just in time for the holidays. check it out at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/whiskeyandchocolate

remember the photoshoot in the Adirondacks i went on for Ecco Boots?
( http://morewasteddays.blogspot.com/2008/11/photoshoot-in-adks-long-story-short-ron.html )
well Ron sent me this from the airport or mall or somewhere in Norway. I'm looking into a trip there to stand around and see if anyone recognizes me.

took it into the woods east of Manayunk



apparently a major motion picture was filming


site of Horrorscope's final scene!

"The answer to your question lies in there." Nate ruled as the old man





this is the path I used to walk Mazzy on




everytime i'm on these trails i take a different way and find something new








so much cool stuff back there. not totally sure about the complete history of this area but i know there were some revolutionary mills and i think some ammunition houses too. so many random rock walls and waterways built who know how long ago.


another bridge

next time i'm scaling this abutment


scaling the rocks to the Toleration statue



back to the bamboo grove to hack off some shoots

my garden is growing!

Adam was back in town for a wedding.


the first time i saw Adam at Kutztown he was wearing these exact same yellow glasses and he annoyed me to no end. (he knows this fact as i remind him of it everytime i see him) once i got to know him he quickly became one of the most sincere, caring and funniest individuals i have ever had the pleasure of calling my friend.

this was the scene about 10 minutes after we walked in the door

here he is helping Meg and Sara with the dishes

first one to identify what's going on in this picture wins



this is Adam's business card that Justin has been carrying around since high school

"I think I can jump through that."

first attempt



made it!

entertaining night to say the least

as always, the goodbyes were tearful

canoe update





moon



this spot was great. this was on the first day i met Po so it had to be '01ish. in Gleason's words, "He's a little Asian kid that likes to film." thanks to Max for uploading


(VHS cover pic courtesy of http://maxzahradnik.blogspot.com/)

Monday, November 16, 2009

skatepark with RuRu/Eric's band/the ramp/hike to the Pinnacle

band practice leaves it's mark


drummer spot may have been filled!



RuRu is the neighborhood skate rat. I met him over the summer skating a yellow curb. I try to give him old decks, Thrashers and stickers when he comes knocking at my door. I kept promising to take him to Pops and this past weekend our schedules finally jived. he was stoked.







junior high notebook scribbling contest on the place mats between Dave and myself. (post Indian food/pre show at the secret art space)

don't know the name of this band

this girl's set up had nothing on my old Casio


we went up to the show because Eric's band, the Lords, were playing. he drummed in a band with us a long time ago and has since moved to Kentucky. it was great to see him again.






3/5 of Tornado of Knives reunion

Poheezy hooked us up with a key to the ramp for the day. thanks brah.

Integrity, Those Who Fear Tomorrow was on the iPod. great session.

before they put the guardrails up, the "concrete half" was a hot spot in 1988.

day hike to the Pinnacle. first stop, a piss break in Fangorn Forest

the first stretch is basically a 90º vertical climb til you get to the observatory. who's up for the Leonid Meteor Shower?


first stop, Pulpit Rock



couldn't have asked for better visibility

obviously i had proper footwear for the 9 mile trek

this felt good

view from the Pinnacle

looking down onto Kempton. I think I see Kindred Spirits!




thank god the giant green cock was there to mark the way back!

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep...poem?

Monday, November 2, 2009

Youngblood Showcase/Phillies game/canoe/Halloween in NYC/NYC marathon

(these are from awhile back now) No Neck and I hit up the York park in the morning then a local pizza joint before heading to the Youngblood Showcase show.

don't forget your vitamins and minerals

No Tolerance at the Championship


Lion of Judah

the singer was referencing the Hagerstown Xmas show from '98. great show, hard to believe it was over a decade ago.



Jamie and Brian both took it over the top

Ray steps up to a dude that moves pianos for a living

we made a fun game called "everybody text Dave the same question at the exact same time"

Mind Eraser





Rancor reunion set

Coach Heim brought his ups


Don's camera still had some old snaps on it. Chicago was a fucking blast.

Jamie had tickets to the Phillies/Dodgers game. I had to at least rep the colors.

first ones there!


it was cool when the tallest man in the world decided to sit in front of us

left to right: Tallest man in the world, some dude, Gene Wilder

I may have a new career as a professional sports photographer

mandatory Campo's veggie steak

Nigro was across the street at the Bruce concert. he kept me updated on the setlist while I kept him updated on the score

found an old article from my college paper

the Jamesway parking lot saw some killer sessions in 1997

finally checked this joint out

Kim documented it on the iPhone

she peeked into the kitchen to get their secret recipe

Nigro is forced to explain his backing of the Yanks to Fishtown's biggest Phillie's fan at the Lost Bar

moments after the Phillies won the pennant, Broad St. became a mess



Chip is getting all growed up


Brian's canoe is getting the final touches



in my entire life I have yet to have a subway ride go completely smoothly. this day was no exception. got lost for over an hour and full on fell over into a bunch of old ladies. no one actually said it, but i'm pretty sure the entire car was thinking the same thing, "nice move asshole"


I was Louis Skolnick from the panty raid scene


Mike and Dana were zombie nerds

dance floor was jumping!



people were stealing my panties all night long. then the whole dance floor tried to get them stuck in the ceiling fan. I went 2 for 2. no one else got one to stay! fun night!

woke up to the New York City marathon a block away

the lead pack for the women. I think the lady in 3rd place in this pic won it. the lady in front won it last year and holds the world record

it was pretty fun scene. seemed like every block had a band playing on it. these guys kept playing the Chariots of Fire theme

Mayor Bloomberg drove by before the men's pack

Peter Pan had their Halloween donuts out

after the lead pack of the men's went by it was awhile before you'd even see another runner. (these weren't the leaders)


slowly but surely the "mob" approached










Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Rorschach/Valley spot checks/a day in New Amsterdam/the band


I couldn't make the Philly show so I had to go to Asbury Park to catch Rorschach on their little reunion tour. turned out to be well worth the drive.

I left straight from work and ended up being the first one there so I went for a stroll.


Ride - Nowhere






Ray and Matt were stoked!

Charles Maggio...let's begin







No One Dies Alone...great little ditty










great show

the next week it was off to NYC. overlooking the Hudson. Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights



looking back at the George Washington Bridge


dashboard dining somewhere in the vicinity of the "Seinfeld" restaurant









"Thompkins Square on a saturday night. I see my brother, he's in a fight..." song?


Moya aka the best behaved dog in the history of dogs

Mike's weapon of choice

mandatory breakfast stop

met up with Matt for some skating. tight bro, great weather, new spots...great day on the board brah





Fountain Hill. probably hadn't skated here since college.

here's my token "Back in the day..." shot. the Alchemy deck puts this around '97

Matt brings it in the '09


when I got home I planted my garden

band practice

we've always been at the forefront of the recording industry

drummer try outs




I think we broke up on the way home

Monday, September 21, 2009

Stacey and Dave get married/bike ride to the Northeast/Haircut session with the Pank card/Centralia

Stacey and Dave's wedding, Dax was there

the happy couple makes their entrance

Stacey was blocked by the priestess

I was starstruck!


congrats! let's party.





behind the scenes of the wedding pics


this is where the dancing and photobooth was

when you have to piss, knowing the best mate has its privileges

"get there!"


the groom making the rounds


pic of an iPhone pic

since I was in the chow line, I missed the toast






the dinner discussion turned to Catholic masturbation

the ladies offered their thoughts




this church down the road served as the parking lot

Marie got the party started with the Thriller dance

unfortunately her Fever Ray request cleared the floor





in the world of iPods, you always run the risk of too many dj's in the booth


once the stethoscope comes off, Dr. Erin turns into Party Erin

I slipped into my casuals for the reception. pinstripes and checkers go together right?

KU crew and a Penn State transplant. I'm sending this shot to the Tower for the alumni update section.



who's up for Friday's? pile on in, the Civic leaves in 5.






I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I'm the only one who can remember the car ride to the hotel. most entertaining 8 miles I've driven in a long time.

oh and at one point in the night I was executed. great wedding! congrats to Dave and Stacey!

got a text from Dave saying he and Kim were riding to Pennypack Park in the northeast to check out some abandoned burnt out cabin. after I drew my map, I was ready to go


pit stop at a flea market where Kim scored a new bike







a geared out pro lady rode by us the other way and said "obstacle up there". we thought she said "it's awesome up there".

finally reached our destination




Kim came out and said there was a note inside from the parks department saying they refused to clean it because there was always human feces smeared on the wall

took a different route home


ended the day with a bbq


finally got to check out the Vato quarter



made a long overdue trip to Pen Argyl to meet Jim and hang/skate/pizza. first stop was Dave's vinyl room (obviously) to do some rearranging



you always find good stuff rooting through the garage

leftover Pank cards

on the way to Jim's house we stopped at a local tourist spot

she was beheaded in a car wreck

Pank was there

Jim was doing some housecleaning. 3 piles: keep, eBay, Double Decker


I asked if the Project X was bootleg or an OG. Jim said it was legit.

more boxes upstairs

after years behind the garage, the Fiber Rider may be seeing some action again very soon


Pen Argyl park quarter pipe/Pank session








Garrett showed up

finally made it to the Haircut

Jim gets it ready to rip










Jim spanned the width on his crails and tails. it was good to skate with him again.

house warming outside Kutztown







Port Clinton Peanut Shop on the way to Centralia


Centralia was scenic as always

it's still burning too






deer carcass
















stretch of highway that had to be closed due to the mine fire

great piece






unfortunately the Gay store was closed


the interior looked untouched from the 70's