Thursday, December 29, 2011

Evidence XLI: Back from Seattle

Back from a killer time in Seattle late Monday night, so time to shred Tuesday. Killer session with Al, Ryan, Cody, Lee and Hoss. Al gets some AZ backschmidt.


Pool #2 bore a close resemblance to #2. We skated a third, but that one's below the radar.

Last couple days in Seattle: Sad to see the price of a real crab Crab 'n' Swiss at Burgermaster has now risen to $10. This might be my last one? Fucking good, though.

They're going to start tolling SR520 today. This was the sign a few days ago, it looks like the sign is swearing, or at least that's what I though. I also saw the bald eagle that hangs out on the bridge a few times.

Meggers and I went to the top of the Space Needle, Seattle's tribute to heroin. although she doesnt' consider it a first date (she had a boyfriend at the time), Meg and I went to the top of the Space Needle just after first meeting in Seattle. Killer night, art opening, cruising around, then to Beth's for some late night pie. Dropping me off in front of my apt she told me she still had a boyfriend. Didn't stop me from continuing to try. As my swedish friend once asked me: "She's so good looking, did you trick her?"

Fog was rolling and the mountain was out.

Met up with some old friends at an old watering hole, Al's Tavern. Used to be a total dive, now kind of a hipster dive. Used to have only Rainier and Henry Weinhard on tap, and 25-cent pool. Old men and cabbies hung out in there.

Nine Inch Nails singer dude has expanded his business empire to heating units.

Michael Powers, old roomate, rackin' 'em up.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

No White Christmas, How About White Santa?


This is from Meg and my travel blog when we lived in Indonesia 2005-07:

A couple interesting things to report this month, at least interesting enough for me to write a little something. The first was my turn as Santa Claus for the children of Salatiga (well, some of them). The second was my lecture in Semarang at the University of Diponegoro for a book launching.
I was asked by my good friend Theo to play Santa Claus, and I agreed thinking it would be fun (it was), but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. On Friday the 1st, I was picked up in the afternoon, taken to our new friends Melanie, Lea, and Ibu Anna’s house to try on the outfit. It was a bit small, the belt was way too small, the beard was falling apart, and the boots were way too small for my feet, but I figured I could pull it off. We set out in the van with me still not really knowing what was going to happen; I thought we were going to a party where I would hang out for an hour or two and talk to kids. Instead what we did was go door to door, with a prearranged list of kids’ houses to visit (they were all students at the same school and members of various Christian parishes). At each house, I was told the child’s name and given a list of things that I was supposed to say to the kids, which included things like “be nice to your sister,” “listen to your mother and father,” “read the bible every day,” “don’t be naughty,” and “don’t poop in your pants” (really, I had to tell a poor, embarrassed kid that!). All of it was in Indonesian, which was a challenge at times. Sometimes the list of things to say was too long for me to remember, so I would have to cheat and look at notes in my palm. I would also give the kids a present, a mug with candy, or if their parents arranged something bigger, I would give them a bigger present. It was mostly the wealthy families that bought the extra presents for their kids.

Coming along were various “elves” who helped, but also two “Pit Hitam” (“Black Pete”). These were two guys with lipstick smeared all over their faces, and they were scary. They literally threatened some of the kids (those who we were told were naughty) that if they were bad, they would come and put them inside their sack, beat them, and throw them in a river. How traumatic for the little kids, I thought. I had mixed feelings about this one… One kid, who we were told was very naughty, cried and cried at the sight of these guys; he knew he was naughty. And I was trying to talk nice to him at the same time. Most of the kids, however, were thrilled, and some weren’t old enough to know it was me wearing a costume. One very cute little girl asked me where my reindeer were (“It’s too hot right now,” I told her) and asked me for Santa’s phone number (“It’s secret”). Very cute.

The reaction from passers by and people we drove by was really interesting. Most Muslims had no reaction or even some disdain for seeing a white guy dressed as Sata Claus driving around. I would have thought that most people would laugh or point or make fun of me, but most sort of ignored it. All in all it was fun, except for the guys scaring the kids part.

It was definitely an interesting experience, and although it was definitely a “look for a white guy to play Santa” thing, I was happy to do it. There are a couple photos posted of me as Santa in the December 2006 Xmas album as well.

A week and a half later, I went to Semarang to give a lecture with two other people for the launching of a book edited by Samuel Huntington on culture and social science at the University of Diponegoro. It was co-sponsored by the US Embassy and the book’s publisher, which made for an interesting event and some people pegged me for a representative of the US government. My lecture was in Indonesian, which went fine, but the moderator, who made this joke when he first met me before everything started, kept referring to me as “Mr. Tukang Cuci” (or “Mr. Clothes-washer” – get it? Lundry, laundry?). I didn’t say anything, but felt like it might have been funny once, but he did it throughout the whole presentation, which was in front of professors and graduate students. I kind of felt slighted or slightly disrespected, not really a big deal, but geez… Of course I couldn’t say anything, so I kept quiet.

The questions were interesting, most directed at me, and some accusing the book of Western bias, which it is, although I pointed this out several times in my lecture (Huntington is a famous neo-con, he wrote “The Clash of Civilizations” And is not particularly well liked here in Indonesia). I felt like I was being held to task for the position of the US government, and, although there was a representative from the US Embassy there, he didn’t speak much Indonesian, didn’t give a presentation, and didn’t seem to follow much of what was going on (in fact he slept through most of the presentations). Later we were fed and I went home.

The next day I came down with amoebic dysentery, and I think it was from the food in Semarang. This was during the hullabaloo of the Russian spy poisoned with Polonium 220, so I thought that maybe someone had poisoned me as a representative of the Great Satan (just joking). A trip to the hospital a couple of days later, some pills, and I was good to go again. Mr. Clothes-washer indeed.

Postscript: The computers at UNDIP gave my flash drive some kind of virus and it wiped out nearly all of the Word files on my drive. Thanks guys!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Checking in from Seatown

My hometown. Checked in at the new Delridge park, fun as shit flow area, and a killer egg (slightly weird waterfall). Local guy killing it, didn't catch his name, would only do one air even though I told him I cut off his arm. Shredding Seattle skaters are like punk rock and corn: every year there is a new crop.

And the old crop still kills it, Mark Holt, f-side rock at Marginal Way. Morris said that Tim said that they once went to Winchester and skated with Blackheart. Tim asked Blackheart if, since it was his home park, he ruled it. Blackheart answered in the affirmative, and said that he would blow anyone away. Holt then blew Blackheart away, and the latter grabbed his gear and left the park. Seattle has more than its fair share of legends.

Seattle grip job.




Nolan, ass flap tail tap. I am fucking stoked that there is a whole crew of gutter punk kids in Seattle who fucking shred parks, no pads, killer style, don't care about doing the freshest tricks but just shred. Morris had to vouch on my behalf for these ones. 


New Beacon Hill park, not yet open, but barged. Amazing view of the city to the North, and the Olympics to the West.

Fish and chips for lunch at Alki.

Guaranteed splashback with these urinals.

Then back to Delridge.

Mo, just getting over an injury, can't stop the f-side ollie.

Mosaic, salmon, sun.

Before.

After. Happy hour at the Brooklyn with Gin and Russ. 18 bivalves, just the tip of the iceberg.

Classy, classy bathroom at Vito's. Saw Wheedle's Groove, killer Seattle soul from the early '70s but could have done without the frat-crowd covers...


Yeah! Girl Trouble, NW legends, they're from Tacoma, but close enough to Seattle.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Party Time!



Evidence XL: Two Birfdays

We've recruited some young guns to help bucket. Gotta pay some dues before you can ride...

Friday was Nick's 40th B-day, so we hooked up a session at Adam's. Light was running out, but Nick got his 4othe before dark, while drinking a 40 ouncer. That's how we do it.

Sunday was my 43rd B-Day. Erin and Max came out for the first two pools.


Nature, left to its own devices, will eventually take over.


This is my 43rd frontside grind of the day. Sorry Dixon and Andrew, lied to you guys to try to keep the stoke level up at the next spot.

Dix in a box? Dixon smoothed out where the coping was missing a tile, and we epoxied one right in place. Held up just right for the light-box grinders!


Evidence.

Gettin' dark, Dixon rolls in.

Courtney grabs backside.

Hoss Rogers, concentrated tail scrape in the 21st century.

Colvin made a showing.


New Score!


Super stoked to have just scored a mint copy of the 7" version of Dinah Washington's "Soulville" b/w "Let me be the first to know." Amazing tune -- hear for yourself below. It was her last single, released in 1963, the year she died tragically at age 39 of a drug overdose. I've got Aretha Franklin's version too, but Dinah's is rawer and just plain kicks ass. Performing in London, with the Queen in attendance, Dinah said, "There is but one heaven, one hell, one queen, and your Elizabeth is an imposter." Show me the way, sister!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Demo Derby photos

Finally got my film scanned. Shot a roll of 3200 for some graininess (and because of low light).



Sun was setting, crazy natural light.