10th Annual Tim Brauch Contest

September 27th I got to judge the 10th annual Tim Brauch contest in Scotts Valley CA. It was packed when I showed up. This was the same contest I skated back at the Milpitas Vans park 8 years ago and it's still going. Got me psyched to see how much memory and support Tim still got.

So as were cruising through the contest, the two annoucers Dave Ashley and Screaming lord Halba also with the help of Paul Sharpe, were chopping down the hopes and dreams for many young kids, but in a good way (???). It was hilarious some of the things they were calling kids out on. If you had a weird name, you were bummed when they called it out That doesn't mean the judges were off the hook. Scott got some heat, Strubing got harassed, VDB didn't hear the last of any benihanas getting thrown down and ColtCannon.com got destroyed. I think Tilt Mode Army dot com was the only positive thing to come out of the speakers. Well, that and the nice things said about Tim Brauch. In the end though, these three individuals made the contest more exciting to watch and enjoi. Don't know if they'll get the invite next year, but fuck it, Tim was laughing his ass off. "Rest in peace Tim, we all miss you"

Mint Chip getting gnarly to win the contest

Elias Xavier Cannon

Congratulations to my older brother Cody and his lovely wife Nicole for having such a beautiful baby. Welcome to the Cannon family little buddy.

The Hurricane

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a middleweight boxer with a intimidating presence in the ring and a knockout punch to back it up. After building up the reputation as a unstoppable force, his nickname Hurricane came about. But in 1966, he was falsely accused of 3 counts of murder and was found guilty in court. His sentence was life in prison with no chance for parole. He would serve 20 years in prison before his appeal was granted to review new evidence in front of a federal judge. He was then found not guilty. During his incarceration, many people protested against his previous verdicts. Muhammad Ali spoke out in Rubin's defense  and my favorite, Bob Dylan wrote a song called "Hurricane". 

To sum it up, I just saw the movie about Rubin "Hurricane" Carter titled "The Hurricane". It was a piece of history I'm glad I learned. How Justice failed him for 20 years but he never gave up. It kinda makes me think of how lucky I've had life so far. Just one more reminder that everyday is special. Checkout Bob's song at the bottom of this post. I've heard it a thousand times, but never knew it was a true story.

Sad Day for you Beard Supporters

I lasted 84 days before shaving my logging career away. It was a tough decision to deal with and knowing what I had to go through to end it, wasn't gonna be quick. For the people that stood by me till the end, thank you.

Back to Work...... Kinda

Today was my first day back in physical therapy. I woke up 5 hours earlier then I normal would to make my 9 a.m. appointment at Apex Sports Therapy. I didn't have time to eat, so I almost passed out on my 15 minute cycle warm up (key word: WARM UP). It was great to see the people I worked with before and get a sense of my physical limitations at this point. Still at 25% weight baring on my left foot, but able to use light exercise bands to work my ankle for the time being. Everyone says the ankle looks great (as far as swelling and scaring) and that I should have a 100% recovery. So since I got the OK to workout the rest of my body, it looks like I'll be getting my summer figure back after all. Now I just gotta work on the tan. "See you at the gym dude"

What Are Friends For

I get an email and I'm thinking it's gonna be another dumb youtube link email or a stupid attachment. Well, I was right! It was a stupid attachment of this photo (above) and my friend telling me what my beard looks like. I laughed at first but then it started to effect me. I've been called fire crotch face before, but I didn't really get the visual until now. So since my injury is taking forever and I'm not liking this beard as much as before, I might just break down from my little self bet and shave sooner then expected. Will that balance out the National Debt or help you in anyway, NO!!! But it is another small form of drama that I get to deal with to kill 20 minutes of my day. Awesome. The debate to shave will continue...

PS Your an Ass Hole Greg haha

The Devil

I've been told, the Devil can come in any shape or form. Well, here he is, in my crutches. After seeing the doctor today, I now have another 3 weeks of hobbling around with my crutches. Right after surgery to I nicknamed each crutch with a funny name in front of guest's to hide my true frustration. Now that I am doomed with this torcher for another 3 weeks, I think Lucifer and Satan will do. So no more then 25% body weight can be applied to my ankle until Oct 6th, "so keep on crutchen colt!!!" I guess I won't be skating as soon as I thought. Potential depression session coming soon.

Pay Your Respect

It is a sad day today. When you think back 7 years ago today, terror grasped us all. The unforgettable event that happened 7 years ago is beyond words to describe, but it served as a wake up call to everyone in the United States that we are not impervious to terrorism. We are very much vulnerable to more attacks. It was a scary day for us all.

Now I take another look at today. That wake up call 7 years ago serves a different purpose. It's to appreciate what you have and who you have. Today is about telling the people you care about how much you care. To respect each other because today we are all lucky to be here. I wish 911 never happened and my heart goes out to all the families that have suffered, but I will feel no fear today from the past. I will smile thinking about all the amazing people that gave their lives for others. The people that overcame all of their emotions and acted on instinct. Their is nothing more beautiful then knowing a perfect stranger will give their life for you. God bless you all.

Worst Day to Post This

I'm sure were all sick of hearing about threats from the middle east. It sucks to hear about the problems they have over there and I'm against any involvement the U.S. might have that effects the lives of innocent people. This movie trailer however is mind blowing. A brainwashing school for kids to become messengers to spread their beliefs onto others around the world. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'll make sure to watch it right after the notebook this weekend. Teach, don't Preach:-)

The Skate Kid

My friend Rich is off his marbles, but in the best way. His creativity and energy can be over whelming for some, but it's just the type of randomness everyone needs. He was the head filmer and video editor for Element Skatecamp this year. His camp skits worry me sometimes, but then I realize he's on some next level shit. I'm still hoping he'll put the video up of our other friend Tomi, I really like that one. For now check this one out and the many others he has on his youtube account."RICKY FLIP, Ricky Flip, ricky flip productions"

Pac Man the Movie

I had a crummy day today, but I suddenly got cheered up when I saw this. enjoi

10th Annual Tim Brauch Contest

The contest is September 27th & 28th at the Scotts Valley Skate Park. For more information go to Session.com or TimBrauch.com. See you there:-)

Virtual Skating is my Only Option Right Now

I'm leaving to buy the game right now.

Van Wastell R.I.P.

1984-2008

Another ripper that was taken from us way too soon. You will be missed Van. More photos on Burnout's blog.

Bend Over!!!

A few weeks ago, my friend took himself to the El Camino hospital ER (same hospital I went for my shoulder separation) because he wasn't feeling to well. Fearing it might be a serious allergic reaction, he had no choice but to bite the bullet without health insurance. Within hours he was let go from the hospital with little or no treatment at all. He would soon learn there is nothing little in the ER.
I met with him briefly this morning and he told me about his bill he got from the hospital. My jaw dropped. $5,000+ for a few hours in the ER. Talk about getting gang raped by a gaggle of silver back apes. I told him I didn't believe him until he emailed me a scanned copy. "BOOOOMMMM", the file opens and I'm even more in shock. It literally says on the charge list: ER = $5,000. What the fuck does that mean. I can get a hotel room twice the size with a TV for $59. Emergency Room my ass ain't worth that much. So here's the photo. Click the photo to enlarge and view the bull shit charges. Health care in this country sucks, thanks US government for figuring that one out.

Corvette Car Show

If you like Corvette's, then you would of liked Los Altos for a day. I didn't even know a car show was going on until a friend told me. I grabbed my camera and made sure I shot a photo of my favorite 57 Chevy Corvette. Other then that year Corvette, it was cool to see a few custom kits on a few. All in all, none of them were good for skate missions, so I left with my photos to share with you just up above. enjoi

Epicly Later'd

If you don't know who John Cardiel is, then learn about him. John Cardiel is one of the few names that will stand out in skateboarding's history forever. After watching Epicly Later'd (A documentary movie on him) I've learned how truly gnarly John Cardiel really was. I always saw him killing bowls, ramps, parks, and street, but his best quality in skateboarding is his passion and drive to skate and destroy. He lives and breathes skating and that's the drive we all need.

Epicly Later'd, not John Cardiel. I saw him judging at the Chili Bowl a few weeks ago vibing out on all the gnarly skating going down. Smiling as big as a kid at Christmas everytime a crazy trick was stomped. John Cardiel is very much in skateboarding and still pushing us to go bigger and faster.

Denied

The doc said another two weeks before talking about a boot. I guess it's better to be safe then sorry. FUCK!!!

Do You Remember Your First Skateboard?

I was with my dad all summer (circa 1993) traveling the nation when we stopped in Sun Valley Idaho for a week or so. A longtime friend of my dads had this board and let me use it for the time we stayed in Sun Valley. 10 years later my dad's friend gave me this board. It instantly brought back memories of 2 mile long tick tac's and endless cruising positions. Thanks Pete

Mixed Emotions

This post was going to be about my future boot. Which one I might be wearing and how both suck to wear. But after my many attempts to photograph these two boots with my new G9 Canon camera, I failed to produce a good photo. I won't blame my (lack of) lighting system. A good photographer can't blame anything but himself. So I sit here in frustration looking at this poor photo and think why is this a post? Are you really just going to settle for this? What is the meaning of life? Quit asking dumb questions! So long story short, this upcoming Wednesday (9/3/08) I hopefully will be walking in one of the two boots. The black one looks cooler, the grey one is more functional.