Social Meet Up

I get hassled more often when I'm skateboarding. It’s usually not so bad, I like to bite the bullet and just handle whatever is going on so I can continue to skate. Certain people don't see a skateboarder as someone having fun. Usually if you’re calm and respectful, others are too. It’s not always the case, but I find myself talking my way out of plenty of confrontations. Not all, but plenty. There are cases in which people become simply belligerent, which is when I often disregard whatever their saying and continue to skate. Only when you are calmly and politely asked does it become difficult to ignore someone. Case and point; the City of Vancouver is building a new park on Ontario and 15th. There is a playground for kids, lots of new paths, and what looks like a large gazebo, all under construction still. Yesterday was Sunday, and although the construction is still incomplete, there were plenty of people around with their kids to check it out. Children were playing on the half built playground, people were using the paths, it was a sunny afternoon in the city. Being that it was Sunday, there were no crews working on any of the aspects of the park. A lot of it was sanctioned off, with minor fencing and some caution tape here and there. It was certainly not much of a hazard, parents were bringing their kids here to check out the new park. Now I wouldn’t be on such a rant for no reason, because the reason me and two buddies drove down to this incomplete park was because they had also been constructing a skatepark at the same location, and it was finished today! I figured it was a suitable "social meet up" because the park has just opened, and everyone was on their way there. Although this wasn't the official opening of the park, it seems that this was it's biggest first turn out for sure. I want to note that this is a rather small skatepark, one of the smallest in Metro Vancouver. Regardless, it’s one of the most fun parks! That being said you must have already guessed that about thirty-five or so skaters had heard through the grape vine that the park was skateable. I had been there only ten minutes and already more skaters were flooding in, crowding the small park. Everyone made room for new arrivals, the majority of the crew knowing people who were arriving. In no time at all, a dense and heated session was happening at the new park! It was really fun to see some of the cities best guys all at one place; it doesn’t happen too often. I was having a blast, so was everyone else enjoying the multiple venues of the new park. Not even twenty minuets into the session, and we realize it’s too good to be true. Two Rangers from the Parks of Vancouver (or whatever) showed up at the park, and headed swiftly over to the skatepark (passing families enjoying the incomplete play ground). The officer nicely asked everyone at the park if we would leave until the official opening of the entire park, sometime next week. Some skaters were passive, others questioned. “This is a completed skatepark,” one rider said “what is wrong with riding it a week early? Nothing else has to be done to it.” He was right, it was totally finished, unlike other aspects of the park that were still under construction. “It’s not safe until next week” announced the female Ranger. “That can’t be so!” proclaimed another rider “This skatepark is safer than the half completed playgrounds, walkways, and other features still in construction. Kids and parents are right over there, do they have to leave to?” The officer went on to explain they had received a complaint call about skaters breaking into the park. No onetook accountability, but one rider even said he was the first person here and that he just walked up the park to start skating it. In the end, all the skaters cleared out the skatepark, but people continued to occupy the rest of the park. The officers were being nice, and no foul arguments came out of it. They explained that their job was to monitor the park until it officially opened, at which time no one could ride the skatepark. They said that if people kept coming back that they would have to inform the police. This didn't make sense to me, it all seemed almost the same. How were we being any less safe than everyone else at the park? I was unsatisfied to say the least, and contemplated calling the police to report “children and their parents breaking into the incomplete playground!” as it had been done to my peers and I, but again, I bit the bullet. I’ll be back to shred it next week; hopefully the park is much safer by then.

Le Blog of Interest

Man, my back hurts. I think I sit wrong at school all day, then drive with my seat all goofy. Regardless, this dude is saving my life. Nice. I’ve had a rather nice past week, I’ve got to see so many good friends at random! It started by visiting Victoria for Thanksgiving weekend, got to see two of my best friends on the island. Of course my buddy has been working often lately, and had a surplus of extra cash kicking around... I was forced to join him in gambling my grocery money away! Luckily I didn’t lose too much, and the next day we met up with another very good friend from Nanaimo, and had our Thanksgiving dinner. It was so fabulous. Immediately after, I was informed we were going back to the casino. Without much say in the discussion, minutes later I found myself en route back to that money sucking location. With determination in my eyes, I went right back to that damn roulette table. I won back all the money I has lost yesterday, and was now up two dollars! I retired for the night, and spent the next half hour watching my two friends lose all the cash they came with. The next afternoon I was back on the ferry, clenching that money like it was my child. Only two days later, my neighbor from back up in Terrace was visiting the city! I met my buddy downtown, and showed him around a bit. We made it back to my East Van apartment, and from there I grabbed my roommates speed bike and my skateboard. Of course I gave my friend the speed bike and I skated, and we rode all the way downtown. After grabbing a couple refreshments, we continued to ride our way all through Stanley Park. It was a glorious sunny day, an excellent occasion to showcase the city to my friend. Later that night, another very good friend of ours made his way in from Chilliwack, and then everything got rowdy! I woke up ten hours later and had to go to class, that was a blur... I spent the rest of the week studying and mid-term cramming, with the occasional skateboarding here and there. I got my car out the shop and have been going out shooting more often, it’s nice not to take the transit absolutely everywhere. If I could afford it, I would go to Japan for Christmas so I could kick it like this guy! I recently took said car to meet a guy on Craigslist who had a ticket to this weekend’s sold out Skrillex Mothership Tour concert! It was one of the best $60 I’ve spent, such a good show! Five straight hours of trance, electronic, dance and dubstep, from artists like 12th Planet and Knife Party. The real finale of course was Skrillex himself, mostly because his set was a heck of a lo louder than the previous artists. I danced my face off for quite some time, but by the time I finally got home I couldn’t manage to keep my eyes open while watching The Secrets of the Free Masons, and I passed out asap. I need to go back and finish watching that, I know those Mason’s have got something up their sleeve!

Pictito

[o] chasehamilton.ca

Le Post Because You Have Nothing Better To Read?

Sup dudes. I've been kept quite busy recently with a series of events, including close calls armed robbers and the hijacking of my new car! Yaaay! I expect these type of events to continue to occur for me, because I'm generally a little too nice to everyone in the city. Being a jerk to everyone should be easier than it is... Although things aren't always as they seem. I bought two pizzas last night and was given a free pop because the store owner liked that I was smiling. He said not enough people smile anymore. He's pretty spot on there. Regardless of the times, I'm incredibly content to still be riding my board almost everyday still. I'm having a blast down here, it really takes a lot to get me choked. Anyways if you've actually read this far you are clearly bored and browsing the internet, so you shall be rewarded. Snoop Dogg sleuths for secrets ! He's such a hustler.
In other news if you're still not aware of the Occupy Wall Street campaigns going on, you should probably remain in your crevasse. To everyone else, it's mind boggling to see how many major cities around the world are fighting back against the corruptions of the American Federal Reserve. People are choked. I have been following the coverage of these protests worldwide as best as I can, but it is hard to get a good glimpse. It's also difficult to gauge how much is really changing as this goes on, but I hope to be able to look back at this time in history and be able to note how it made our world better.
My man Tunechi makes notes about the current times in his latest PSA, also addressing the importance of the recent loss of Steve Jobs, his past struggles with Syrup, his reasons for tattooing his entire body, and my obvious favorite rant, why Weezy loves skateboarding. Lots of people don't like his music, and will probably disregard a lot of other things about him based on this. He's easily one of my personal musical inspirations, but I also see him as a very well spoken for guy, he stands up for a lot of people. He gives very clear reasons about why he does a lot of the things he does, and stands behind them. He also encourages so many to be like him, and stand behind what they believe in. This is all too often a corny topic to inspire people to live by, but if Wayne is talking to you, it's a different game. His swag is evident even in his from the heart expressions. You can tell how serious he is when he talks, he digresses how he got his first tattoo on his stomach so he could be like Tupac. He was 14. Real talk!
I'm such a loyal pawn that I am now saving up to get a tattoo myself. I've contemplated for years what I want on my body forever, but I think I now know where to start.
(I'm going to get Lil Wayne's face tattooed over my own)
...Syke, but I am getting a tattoo

You Got That! Interview

Threw together an interview on You Got That!, my buddy's skateboarding photography blog from Victoria. Check it out my interview here!