Holidays

The holidays are here again and so is the snow. I am currently whippin around in Ballard's Audi lovin the AWD, but not lovin the cold. My knee is healed and working out has helped get me my strength back so hopefully I'll make it out to a few parks this winter and get back at it slowly. Lotsa chillin, not so much pinnin it.......

Happy holidays!

Steven

Rocco's new web edit

Just some hammers. Real good stuff once again. Everyone's catching up to you, Meliota! Chop chop!

Web edit from rocco didonato on Vimeo.

I'M BACK!

My leg/knee has fully recovered after three months. Back on tha grind soon...see ya out there!

What it is...

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do. Stop.

This is scary as fuck dudeeeeee!

This anime bitch wants you to go to the store for a couple of King Cobras because "KING COBRA! MOST DANGEROUS SNAKE IN WORLD!"

Happy Thanksgiving time everyone.

I run this

Nothing should be taken that seriously.....

Binga's

In case you haven't heard, one of the best spots in Portland, Binga's Wingas, has been the victim of a pretty bad fire. It might sound crazy coming from a vegetarian, but I loved that spot and got to have some real fun times there with various friends. I'll never forget puking up Chernobyl sauce the first time I tried it...

I swear sometimes that I am living out a final destination-esque life. If I put it into the universe it comes back to me somehow. Yesterday Ballard and I were talking on going to Binga's Wingas for lunch then we decided against it. I woke up this morning and found out the place had burnt and I was like 'oh fuck I almost went there yesterday!' Just shows you how each session and day is a gift, be it going out, riding, seeing a friend or loved one, etc. Enjoy it while you can because it could end tomorrow. R.I.P. Binga's, come back soon!

Broke off

Broke my:
iPod
Computer
Leg

....and now my phone thanks to Ms. Fiona.


holla?

I spy....

Look closely in the background of one of those last photos I posted. You will notice a young Lee Nason chillin next to the ramp on crutches with his broken leg. Ironic since now I'm in the same position, but where's the smooth rider with the Bravada and the tree?

It's Friday night and I'm done being responsible. We're going out tonight!

BRAAAAAAAAAP!

MFM!

...and just because it's election day and I have been slacking on the blog, I thought I would post more photos (of myself because I'm so self-centered).

But really though, found more oldies and since I can't ride til my knee is rehabilitated, look at my old shit and like it!

Photos by Sarah Roberts

And now those days are gone....

I almost wept when I found this photo. Here I am, age 19, Forum park mini ramp, Portland. If I knew then what I know now....

Photos by Katrina Raymond.

Bobby Blatchford Halloween Week!

There is no such thing as half-assing it, boys!

Obama in the house!

Try some?

I was way too drunk when I took this, but I'm willing to bet that he's on the floor cause of Brave Dave Twiss...

Couch hopper/cuddlebuddy Jared McKenzie.

Leg air guitar and a shirt that will soon be gone...

Mansfield and McDevitt share the same feelings!

Tyle Way has cool sports jackets and a cat named Tippy Tap.

This guy brought Bobby out of hiding...again!

Dinner with friends approx. 7 hours before Blatchford came to the party...

Eveytime Seth wakes up at my Apartment he looks like this.

Our new poster boy!
Shit. Had some ill ass photos fom Halloween and such to post, but I don't have nealy enough space or time to do it all on this computer so fuck it anyway. However, in the past week I have rode an excecise bike, blatched in a chicks house, had a potted plant thown at me and crutched a million blocks to dink lotsa pints of Old Rasputin and Pumpkinhead. I was a soccer player for Halloween and everyone thought that my crutches were part of the costume so eventually I started going with that telling people I got hurt kicking the ball. Jason and Jared went to town throwing YASEE stencils up on a baseball bat and a cardboard gun for their respective costumes of a baseball player and a cowboy. By 3 am on Halloween Jason looked like he got in a fight with some black paint and a pack of Ramen...don't ask.

More shenanigans soon....

Back like cooked crack!

Well sort of. Just returned to work yesterday and its awesome to be back. No more cast,no more pain. Six more weeks on the crutches, but I can put a little weight on it so that's good with me. The doctor is letting me drive a car and ride a stationary bike now so I am stoked.

Fortnight

Only two more weeks of being trapped in this cast. Had a super fun weekend this past weekend either way and got to chill with all my friends at the crib. McDivit even wanted to take me out in a wheelchair hahaha! Next weekend should be a blast heading to NH with the boys. Expect some real good photos from that excursion as I'm sure I'll be heavily under the influence of all kinds of medicines! Till next time, mother bitches......

PT PT PT!

I've been riding long enough to have more than my fair share of injuries, but this one really sucks. I'm shredding these sticks til I can walk in a few weeks, after re-learning how to move in physical therapy...crazy shit! Knee explosion=worst vacation I ever took.

I stayed with my mom til the 26 staples were taken out and the swelling went down in my knee, now I'm back, but still down. At least now I can chill out and have a beer instead of tripping off pain meds!

Listen to Cursive

Cursive-The Ugly Organ. I first got to listen to it in it's entirety on a foggy drive up to the Allen's Sebago homestead. During the final track,'Staying Alive',I remember thinking "holy fuck I don't want the trip to end!" The entire album is amazing and that last song gives me chills every time I hear it, especially at the end where the choir is singing 'the worst is over.' This record should be on everyone's iPod, no questions asked.

New park/new horse

Just tried to vote for the park design and do some ass kissing on the msg. board. Not sure it even worked, don't think it did, but oh well. Vote for design #3. Shit's got a 3-hip pool and street elements too.

Tyler is loaning me his road bike as soon as I can walk again to help my recovery from the knee surgery. Pretty fuckin awesome, dude. Ima get soooooo jacked! HGH! MUSCLE MILK! PROTEIN! Watch out James Meliota, you'll have competition once I get over this, son!

Peep the skatepark deal here:
http://thephoenix. com/BLOGS/abouttown/archive/2008/09/17/pick-your-favorite-sk
atepark-plan. aspx

PICK UP THE PHONE, BITCH!

Oh man, classic. Before the Sidekick and the iPhone were even around, there was the Tyler Way foam phone.
Gotta love it......

Eastpak/Woozy video

If you remember a little while back I posted a video of this dude Stefan on here. Well this is him and Bruno Hoffmann shredding. Dude's have such good riding syle...makes me wanna go ride real bad! What do you think?

Stefan Lantschner & Bruno Hoffmann Eastpak & WOOZYBMX Section from woozybmx.com on Vimeo.

Make you feel that way....

Illes, Meliota & company doing big things. Every time I see new edits from these kids I get so pumped, especially now while I'm injured.


P Town Streetbeat from Edwardboy08 on Vimeo.

Just when things were getting good....

In an unfortunate turn of events, I was injured randomly and severely this past Thursday night. I was kickin it at the crib with Jason and Jason and we had just finished watching the Shook video 'Like Totally' and I was pumped to ride. I went out on a chill solo mission and ended up meeting up with a bunch of random dudes from out of town and we set off to hit some spots. We were riding the courthouse stairs and just as we were all almost done with the spot I decided to give it one more hit and manualed the top step, dropped to flat, and while carrying a good amount of speed went to 180 over one of the grates in the sidewalk. I got the 180 around, but the speed threw me off the bike and my front foot was first to hit the ground taking all the force and speed and in turn, snapping my leg. The dudes I was riding with were a big help and offered me a ride to my apartment, but we all quickly realized that I wasn't able to get up. So once again I took an ambulance to Mercy hospital where I soon found out that I had broken my leg and pulled the ACL away from my knee with a fragment of the bone! Fun times! Friday morning at 10 AM I went into surgery and the surgeons were able to fix my leg with two metal plates and re-attach the ACL with Kevlar. This meant that I wouldn't need a second surgery so needless to say I was stoked. The recovery is going to take awhile; 6 weeks non weight bearing, and physical therapy for the next two months at least. The staples will come out within the month and I am already re-learning how to walk with crutches again. Getting back on the bike isn't even a concern anymore, I am thinking more long term and making sure I stay on top of PT and heal corectly. I'll start to ride stationary bikes followed by road bikes and go from there all while working out and doing leg excercises (as I type this I have my leg in a machine that bends the knee for me to increase mobility.) I am stying positive thanks to family and friends being so good to me and coming to visit (thanks for the Hustler cards, Rodge!) I just got out of the hospital yesterday and I have a long road to recovery, so once I can walk on two feet again you'll be seeing me out and about probably just taking photos of all these young shredders who still have the ability to shred! I'll be happy to just get outside and chill with everyone again once possible. So while I'm laid up, keep riding and be careful out there!

Photos soon (it's hard to get out of bed!)

Update time, more to come shortly!!

What up? Its been a while since I have been able to get online since we moved, but the new crib is fully up and running and there will be photos and the regular shit up soon. Recently got to go up to Hopkinton and shred with a bunch of homies. That place is awesome! James Meliota and I were running on fumes on the way back home haha! Gotta get some footy and photos so email me or myspace me or send shit to my phone! I just didn't want people to think I was done with the blog, I've just been real busy and I don't have internet until we get a router, so until then I am doing this from my work computer. Everything should be back to normal fun times soon...

Get out of Portland while you can, summer is almost over!

The Next Episode...

$400 down, $400 to go.....someone buy me some Tecate, I need it!

For your health!

I had a pretty interesting day at work today and it got me pretty worn out. My job gets hectic in a wild sorta way, but I like it. Anyway, I was dealing with all kinds of scary nonsense and I was in a room with no windows and I was losing my mind for like an hour, so by the time I left the office I was really kinda beat. The nice part was that as soon as I got done Fiona and I went for a bike ride and then I met up with Tammy, then Kyle made us a flatbread. So my friends made me not stress out and they all rule like Dr. Steve Brule....for your health!

I'm done bitching. Go ride yo bmx!

Stevens-Rackleff R.I.P.

You had one, now all the blunts are done!

Good times.....

Jeeplife returns!

My Jeep is back to 100% again! I'm about as psyched as being at Reed's with the homies (only minus the beard. Good god...)

'Signs' by M. Night Shayamalan

So when I'm not busy riding, working, chillin with the lady or the boys, I am creating signs. Tyler and Dave commandeered some signs with removable letters recently and I went to town with them one night. James Ballard (pictured) lost his shoe in the ocean the night these were taken, but the waves brought it back to shore. Random Fact? Yes. Also, that is a wolfhound at the bottom and it is huge. Can't bunnyhop that one!



Signs sucked.
The Village sucked.
The Happening FUCKIN sucked.
Quit M. Night Shayamalan.

BH Orchid Video

Brian Hunt killing Rye Airfield like usual. Now that is a man sized footjam!


More BMX Videos >>

Yeah boy!

Been busy as hell lately and all of my technology is busted, so this is the first post in dayyyyyyyys! Independence Day is tomorrow,Heineken is on sale,and I have a bag of fireworks from South Of The Border so you know it's on! I need to charge my camera battery to get some photos of the holiday festivities. In the meantime I put up this throwback. I don't normally like to post photos of myself because I feel like a tool or a dickhead, but take it. I miss the Portland skatepark.

R.I.P. George Carlin (1937-2008)

Just found out this morning that George Carlin has passed away and I was pretty upset. Carlin was the man, just in case you didn't know. The world has lost one of the funniest and edgy guys ever. Nobody could do stand up like Carlin.

It's all bullshit and it's bad for ya!

Anything's possible!

BOSTON CELTICS 131
LA LAKERS 92

That's it. We the best!

iPod Death

I'm batting a thousand on ruining my shit. First I ran my bike over, and now I've killed my 5th Gen. 80GB iPod. If you know me, my iPod get sessioned heavily, so it was only a matter of time before it shit the bed. I miss it already, hopefully I will be on Apple.com picking up a new one in the next week. The 80GB marks the third iPod I have destroyed. I am a champ. Maybe it's time to switch to a flash drive...

Friday the 13th, and all is well!

Man, I guess every time I don't pay attention to a game, my team wins. As was the case last night in game 4 where the Celtics came back to ape it after LA was putting a beating to em'! So now the count is 3-1 Celtics and I can't help but say YOU HAD ONE, NOW YOU HAVE NONE! (or something like that)

Paul Pierce is stoked.

Shake is the man.

That being said, it's Friday the 13th and that is just great! Probably gonna ride this afternoon and eat it like whoa. Not. Also, gotta hit up Novare Res Beer Cafe tonight. Jason and I checked that place out this week and it's the jam. Real beer conosieur shit-no PBR or BL. Ride bikes and get a pint of ale!

Listen to 'My Bloody Underground' by The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

I would like to take you out for a salad and never call you again. Peace for now bitches! Keep pedalin!

Run that shit (over)

I managed to run my bike over with my Jeep Cherokee this week and got away with only a torn seat (thanks to the lift kit!)




GO AND GET YA MONEY LITTLE DUFFLE BAG BOY!

LIL BILL THE KING OF POP!

You got the crispy Reeboks? Check. You got the Visa or Master Card? Check. You got that brown paper bag? CHECK!



Photo by Michael Breece.

You would think....

I need a new camera battery then I can get some new shit up on here. So much to post too! I can give a brief rundown of stuff that you should know about though;

-James Meliota is "out" with a severe leg gash which has so many stitches in it I can't count them all. He also completely destroyed his Eastern frame(no surprise)and is riding an FBM courtesy of David Twiss.
-My OG UMF buddie Ashley Oakes has moved to P-town from Connecticut.
-Rocco's Mini ramp has a deck on it now and it got sessioned.
-Boston street sessions are going down regularly.
-Brunhilda will fuck your whole night up!!
-Old Port Fest was as usual, a shitshow!

won't fly

A couple posts back I mentioned the skydiving trip that didn't quite go as planned. Ya see, the thing was Tyler and James (Ballard) were supposed to head up to Pittsfield, Maine to jump out of an airplane for a fee of $200. I went along for the trip to basically party and sleep on a hotel room floor and go out to ratty Bangor nightclubs, but you couldn't pay me $200 to jump out of a plane! Friday night was different, then Saturday rolled around and we headed for the airfield. Once at the skydive place we got to see a demo then watch a jump and view an instructional video. Seeing a group make the jump eased my fears of skydiving and actually made me think I could do it if I were on enough drugs. Unfortunately, after the first jump, nobody else could go because the Cesna pilot was radioing back down to us that there was freezing rain above the clouds. So after chillin for like four hours hoping for the rain to stop, we rolled out, defeated. Tyler and James were pretty bummed, but at least they didn't die and we got to experience Bangor nightlife haha!

So it's Saturday again and it's raining, so what the hell, no jump again! This only leaves Tyler more time to dial in his spandex zebra suit for the big jump (Gotta get a flick of that to put on here!)

Nosepick 101

This video is on the Fly link, but I enjoyed it so much that I put it here so you have to watch it. Definitely one of my favorite riders to watch and you'll see why.

Stefan Lantschner in Austin:

Memorial Day Weekend

I don't have any photos to show for this weekend, but it was wild. Noone jumped out of a plane, but J. Roget bottles got popped. TRIP!

SNEAKY LUMBERJACK!!

Go Celtics!

Fun weekend. Whip got whited out and puked on, celtics lost, worms in the peppers....

Paul Pierce is so hood:

Miller out

Antonio brought us to a nice spot the other night and seth found this fence hop set up. Unfortunately on this attempt Seth rolled his ankle pretty bad. Ankle sprain=at least two weeks off.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Tecate and Corona time!

Jason Mansfield rides real street.

That's all, more on that later....

EXTREME!

T-Bo becomes a dad!

Congratulations to Zach and Emily on their son, Jackson who was born last week.
I'm psyched for you guys!

Saturday!

Here are just a few pics from Friday night. Shit was off the chain! Peep out Rocco's photo album for more construction and riding photos.




It's Saturday and that rules! Last night after I got out of work I picked up the Rodger and we went to Rocco's house because he had a mini ramp up and running. The thing is five feet tall and currently has no decks or cover ply, but it's gonna be so dialed soon. The best part about it I thought was that the transitions were smooth and the flat bottom was just a lil bit short making this thing real quick and fun to ride. Rocco and the entire crew were busting ass on the ramp and by the time we got to riding it, more friends showed up. It was nice to have a makeshift mini ramp sesh. It was fun just to air the thing or do a simple trick. After sessioning the ramp for a while we went and rode street in a huge group and that was fun. Soon the ramp will be proper and hopefully the bbq will be too! So to Rocco, Joey, Illes, James, Kyle and everyone else, this was the best idea ever!

Thanks Lauren!

Thanks to Lauren Cox reading the blog, and me being too stupid to make shit work, here's the best thing you didn't see on here.


Hit this link then change your shorts:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v23/valentinesinmay/105_0868.jpg

Happy Earth Day!

Ride a bike, plant a tree.

This video is the shit. Mike Brennan rules.

Purple Haze

Had a pretty wild weekend. Saturday night I met up with Seth and we embarked on a voyage down to our good friend Brittani's house in Allston, Massachusetts. Sunday was to be a national stoner holiday-4/20, so it seemed like a good time. Seth drove most of the way and used his GPS to navigate us into an endless figure eight around the towns of Malden and Everitt. After that ordeal, we got to a liquor store in time to get a 12 pack of Red Stripe, then went to Brittani's. It was a pretty typical evening.

Then Sunday happened:
Woke up at 8:30 and got down on a j, got some food, listened to Madlib, took a trip to the Commons where we saw a marijuana protest, laid in the grass, steamroller, got down on multiple L's, special pancake and banana bread dinner.

The pancakes were good, they put us to sleep, then the two of us awoke at 1:30 AM Marathon Monday and traced the Boston Marathon route home just hours before the start of the race.

The funny thing is that we were staying around the block from Jackson Mann and didn't ride there once, hell we didn't ride anything we planned on riding. Slack motherfuckers!

Photos?

Spring into summer day!

The weather was so fine yesterday. Seth and I had to work most of the day, but we got out after the sun was down to go hit a few spots. It felt like summer, or it felt like we were someplace else, not Portland. Skating/riding+40's+t-shirts=summer.

R.I.P. Wayne "Frosty Freeze" Frost.

S&M Slam XLT's are strong.

James Meliota sparks up ledge 50/50's at 65 mph.

Rogues Gallery was honored as best men's clothing store in P-town by the Portland Phoenix. I'm telling you, shit's fresh. If you don't got it, go get it!

PARTY TIME!

I think that's all I wanted to throw out there. Hopefully get another night session on tonight. Sunday should be pretty entertaining if I can make it. Leave you bmx at home, take a skateboard! On that note, I'll leave you with this. NUTS!

Newsreel

Nice weather is here, bitch! Spot sessions going down daily.....James Meliota made a new web vid that's short, but has some serious moves in it. If you didn't see it, watch it below. He's stepped up his riding again, but what really impressed me was one of Illes' bangers...you'll know it when you see it!

Also, as of Tuesday, the schooner docks are no longer occupying the State Pier, so that obstacle is gone. Got one last fun sesh in there Monday night. No flats!

Do James Ballard and Jason Mansfield ride bikes anymore?

I ate shit trying to 3 hop out of the Lincoln Park fountain.

Dave Twiss has taken the freecoaster to the next level. Not only does he do lotsa fakie tricks, he actually ride his bike fakie through the city.

I want to get a fixie, wear some girls' corduroy capris, and do trackstands.

Jared and Seth got into some shit involving a botched wallride in a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville. Shit is wild.

Rogues Gallery has a new store in Portland on Wharf Street. Go check it out,pick up some new spring gear, and support Maine steeze. Alex Carlton is the man!

Girls love a pink bike.

I started listening to Snoop Dogg's new record. It's alright, but it got me listening to other stuff like 'The Chronic' again. Then, coincidentally I was watching MTV Jams or Yo! Raps or whatever, and this was on. HELL YEAH!

New video

Meliota and Illes kill it on this.

Only the good die.......

Friday is here. James, Kyle, and Tyler are pumped up for 80's dance night. Get ready for lotsa Human League and Ah-Ha and the like. Maybe Tyler can win another dance contest! Should be entertaining......

Yesterday everyone was out riding and it was so warm. No more aches and pains from the cold for this old man!

Casey Jones will kill you.

You had one, now you have none!

Maine street!

Well I was gonna post a video still of James Meliota grinding a big rail here, but the format wouldn't work, so you'll just have to wait for the next Portland mixtape! Young guns are killlin it these days....just you wait and see! Above we have Mr. Shredder himself, Meliota, Tim Packard, and Neil Naples. So just for fun:

Word association:
James Meliota-fast, instrumental music, gaps, clean, nosewheelies, yeah son!, headphones, polos.
Tim Packard-brown paper bag, inverts, fufanus, Grey Goose, APS, white tees, chill, Young Jeezy, VW's.
Neil Naples-icepicks, end it, Dickies, Primo V-Monster, abubaca, meat, Blood For Blood, full cab.

S.G. throwback/fresh tees....

This is Seth Gould doing a wall tap at The Zone two summers back. On this particular day Seth, James Meliota and myself rode this dust bowl for a couple hours in shorts and tee shirts and came out completely filthy. Fun times! Seth is also the reason that Tyler Way has an SG branded on his ass. In completely un-related news, Reed Allen's GF Rachel has printed the first of a couple of L.E. tee shirts that I drew up and they look so ill. Jason Mansfield actually picked the drawing for the shirt out of a bunch of random sketches I had done and he got the first shirt. Big props to Rachel for taking the time out of her busy as hell schedule to make these for us! Photos soon.

Listen to Lil Weezy.
Listen to Amy Winehouse.
Eat Ramen with Siracha.
Roll your own!

Don't Matter!

This takes me back. Fun times with the homies for sure. Seth's got this labeled "Drunk in my Delta at 7am in Boston." Ahhh, young Cosby, crashing into vans and stealing other people's jeans.......

Tonight on Jeopardy "What is eggs Benedict" was an answer.

That's not an April Fools Day joke either.

TGIF Mother Bitches!

There's a little black spot on the sun today......

Bill Cosby wore sunglasses on Oprah.

Random

Jason Mancheeks is in Pennsylvania for the week, Seth should be taking his stitches out today, and James Ballard did the highest air ever out of the Bath bowl (Lauren/James, send me that photo!)

iTrade

Well the day has come! After three years of providing me with those hott jams, I have sold my second iPod 20GB to Rodge for a trip to Bath and two sixers of tall boys. I always liked the old iPods better cause they seemed more rugged (even though I destroyed my first one). I figured I didn't really need that 20GB though so I hooked up my boy. Listen to The Anniversary.

I likes to DANCE!

Saturday night. Melissa and Seth. Approx. 1 hour before all hell broke loose.

Lauren, Lauren, and a very thirsty Tyler. J. Roget!

Melissa, Jason Manch Vegas, Josh.

Varsity team 2008.

Who looks more psyched, Lauren or me? (Seth was eating 20 star Curry at the very moment this was taken.)

Silly dance! I also decided to look like I was pooping.

OK

I am not cool with a few people after last night. I now know who is real and who is fake and that some people are real pieces of shit. That's it. Save your drama, and keep that cheap shit away from me and my real friends. If you saw what happened to Seth last night as an ok thing to happen, get fucked.

Same shit different day

It's been nice enough out to hit up a few street spots this past week. Everyone is out riding again even though there's still snow everywhere and I like that. Yesterday I saw none other than James Meliota out riding, right after I had wrapped up a solo street sesh. I later met up with Jason Mans Chinese Theater and we rode the Bay Lines and Adams. Just like to mention that I love Adams, it's the best manual spot ever! Also I'd like to call out Rocco, I saw you out riding your all orange bicycle and hollered at you and you kept riding homie! Above is a photo from the same summer '06 session as below. I got this weird angle on James airing the Slayer, it also turned out to be the most angry and stylish of the set. Kids got that BOOST!

Almost there!

The winter blues are hitting everyone hard right about now. The weather is bad enough, but everything else seems to go wrong for everyone. Let's just hope the worst is over! On that note, here is a photo from better times, both weather wise and history wise. James M. tuck over the chunk during a summer '06 session.

No games, no gimmicks!

Jay Dee + Madlib = Jaylib. I'mwitit.

This is why I'm not...

On the T with my Marlin's whip. I threw mayonaise at Tyler today.