Remember When?

Seattle center. Mid-day session. Pirate, Coach, Sarge and me riding in the court-yard and nobody cares. The freedom we had at that moment was great. Maybe you guys don't understand quite what I mean. Freedom from pressure. Freedom to just ride and not worry about what I am putting aside to do so. It seems like I have to leave town to get that, which sucks.
It was perfect weather. There was a fountain, lots of people around. Not the greatest surface, but we were doing it old-school...downhill. My bike was so cool to me back then. I was stoked because it was the BEST bike I had ever owned. We were going to be riding with pros that weekend, though we thought it was goint o be Jesse.
Mickey Guidos was awesome and that spot was incredible. The sessions we had were great and are imprinted on my mind till the day I die. But something about the Seattle center session was unique.
Four grown men with different viewpoints enjoying time on their little bikes making circles.
~J

Oh man

Well, Chris called me. He is apparently back in the states for a little while and tried to hook up with Paul. The reason Paul has been missing in action became quite clear...he met a chick on the internet. Right away I wanted details and Chris didn't have many to give me. Here is what he said...
Basically, Paul met this chick through Match.com. She works at a gym in Bend. They had been meeting when he goes fishing. Her father is a police officer there.
Anyway, Paul told Chris that she is pregnant and that the baby is not his, but that she got pregnant right about the same time that they met and the father is convinced that Paul is the father. The baby is due in march and Paul is waiting for paternity to be established. In the meantime, the police/father and Paul's mom have had some pretty heated conversations and Paul has basically lived at work. One of the women that works with Paul has become his confidant and Paul told Chris that they are very close. The only thing that Paul isn't into is this chick's weight. He told chris she is "overweight," but wouldn't elaborate, though she is bilingual.
I tried to call Paul, but he isn't answering his phone. What is it with this guy and pregnancies?
Chris is going to meet up with Paul for dinner later this week, so hopefully he will get more details on just what is going on.
~J

Sarge

Paul, you need to call someone. Seriously. What is up? Where are you? Are you riding? Are you getting married? Moving to China with the Pirate? Entering muscle competitions, yet?
~J

Behind Bars

Joe dropped off Jeff's old set of Contortion bars, today. They are big and wide and I really thought I would hate them. I wanted to hate them. I really did. I threw them on because it was really nice out and I wanted to ride.
They felt great. I popped up into a hang-5 and it literally popped up! It felt like my head-tube angle had gotten alot steeper! The bike was alot easier to control, too. It might have been because they are wider, but I think mostly the control was increased by the height. I sessioned them for about an hour and it was a good session. They are too wide, though...I nailed my leg several times. A little whacking and they will be good.
With these taller bars, my bike is slowly becoming more like Chase's bike...
~J

Ride For Life

At some point, I really thought that I would stop riding by the time I was 35. It's almost unreal how much riding has ingrained itself in my life. At this point, riding is one of hte most important factors in most of my relationships, life decisions and scheduling stresses. I try not to think too much about how money, time and heart I put into something that will never return anywhere near the cost.
So many people have pretty much openly sneared in my face because I beat myself up on a kid's bike. It's never really bothered me. If you know me very well at all, then you know that being sneared at is usually not something I ignore. Riding is different. I think I just accept the fact that most people don't have something in their life which lends them insight into my passion for flatland.
They just don't get it.
You can't compare it to football, because I ride way more than I spectate watching videos or the rare mass-media coverage. You can't compare it to sky-diving, because it's not about risking life for a short-lived thrill. You can't compare it to painting, because I don't leave behind my tricks on a canvas, unless you count my tire marks.
Flatland is my cape and mask.
~J

Ed Nussbaum...

...is here and we rode the warehouse tonight,he said he 's been dealing with injurys but you could not tell.Although the super good surface tripped him out at firts,he got the hang of it by the end of the session.It sounds like he's down to ride all weekend so it will be a good one.Ed will be hittin the rode on monday so we got to get it while the gettins good.It is so fun to ride with a guy at his level,plus he's super mellow...joe

dont pick up

If the phone rings dont respond.............joe

Time to face reality

Joe and I have talked about this a few times, but I haven't brought it up on the BBB site until today. It's an uncomfortable subject. Nobody likes to admit wrong doing or weakness. Nobody likes to point the finger. We all want to be able to look one another in the eye, but that is happening less and less.
I think we all have been trying to act like eveything was ok, but it's hard for me to do. I feel like I have been pretending. Lately I have been riding at the ghetto courts by myself and I have felt like somethings wrong. It's hard to think this about myself, but here I go. It's time to get this out in the open, where we can discuss it like adults. I think the wherehouse is making us soft.
Now, I know that your first instinct is to deny, but when was the last time you rode somewhere that was a little bumpy or slightly slanted and didn't stop and think about how bad it is compared to the wherehouse? Yes, friends...we are growing spoiled, weak and pampered. It is getting to the point where riding at the ghetto courts, which not too long ago seemed to be the best spot I had had in ten years, is stressful. I rarely pull anything and am plagued by the desire to drive to Hilsborro.
Whew! I'm glad to finally get this out in the open. My hope is that we can address this in the near future.
~J