blizzard 2012 update

dustin boyer making it on the news riding his ural w/sidecar

2012 in music

here are some of my favorite events/releases/observations regarding music this year.

high on fire-de vermis mysteriis
converge-all we love we leave behind
goatwhore-blood for the masters
OFF!-s/t
one man metal documentary on noisey.com
last days here-pentagram documentary
pig destroyer-book burner
melvins playing the vogue on my birthday
JR giving me his entire Iron Maiden vinyl collection
downtown struts- anchors 7" with brad westcott on the cover
eagle twin-feather tipped serpant scale
modest mouse's lonesome crowded west documentary on pitchfork.tv
cat power's instagram account
eyehategod-new orleans is the new vietnam 7"
sleep- dopesmoker reissue
darkthrone skateboard by creature
best live shows: dragged into sunlight, batillus, skeletonwitch,  and iron maiden

cb750 chop progress

finally mocked up the 750 chopper. i got a donor bike a few weeks ago. i mainly needed it for the title. i knew the engine case had a hole in it, right now the plan is to patch it and see if it holds. still trying to figure out front end options. how it sits now, there front is lower than the back, can't really roll like that. i'm still not sold on the plunger in the rear. i know it might be blasphemous, but i'm considering cutting the plunger off and having it made into a proper hardtail.

***here is a link to my build thread on ChopCult

 

donor bike

  

pretty sure there's a hole

  

this is what happens when you run a loose chain

previa report

zach sent me this photo that he found somewhere on the web. imagine that, a previa photo that was new to me. right now the previa is just over 285,000 miles. the lift gate latch broke last month, which means you can just lift it up and it rattles around all the time. i called all the junkyards and none have a previa in their lot. i've had people "break into" it twice in last few weeks. both times they took my spare change and my iphone charger. i'm thinking about putting rusty tacks or razor blades inside the door handles, but i'm afraid i will forget and cut myself. i did spring for new tires in the fall.

the parking block diaries

one of my old skate buddies started a blog. he's always been a great writer. i can't wait to see what he comes up with. check it out... the parking block diaries

mongoose "californian"

so my friend gave me this bicycle over the weekend. it's an '85 mongoose "Californian". i basically bought the same one brand new when i was a kid. i asked my dad to buy it for me and he declined. he had a better idea: scrap enough aluminum cans to raise the money. so he would drive me around to collect cans. we would hit the baseball diamonds after everyone left, dig though trash cans, and walk the sides of roads. i have to admit, as a young kid i was pretty embarrassed and didn't understand why he couldn't just buy it for me (we were far from spoiled). after about 7 months, i had enough money saved to buy the bike. i think it was around $170. looking back, the whole experience was a valuable learning lesson for me. so you can imagine, getting this bike brings back memories and nostalgia. my plans for the bike are to clean it up and replace some of the parts. the grips, tires, brakes, and seat are all newer. i want get OG parts or at least reproduction. i don't have much of my old BMX stuff, but i do have my number plate. i'm defiantly going to run that.

 

 

chicago trip

what started as going up to chicago to see High on Fire and Goatwhore for a night turned into a weekend long blowout. found out Steve and Jeremiah's shop were having a huge party the following night. somehow the planets were aligned and Lee was in Chicago for layover. he ended up changing his ticket and staying for the weekend as well. honestly, it couldn't have been planned any better. ended up seeing some killer bands, hanging out with old friends/meeting new ones, and checking out some rad motorcycles. to top it off, i was given 1984 mongoose "Californian" BMX bike, which was basically the first bicycle i owned when i was a kid. pretty epic weekend...

 

this was the very first Ducati engine. it was called "Cucciolo" it bolted into a bicycle.

 

this man is crazy.

goatwhore

 

high on fire

  

ghetto art

bravetown

december riding

i had the afternoon off and the temperature was close to 70 degrees. couldn't pass up a chance to ride. never understood why people store their bikes for the winter. i'm trying to ride at least once every month of the year. blasted out I-70 past plainfield, then got on some back roads. goat hollow road, robb hill road, bunker hill road. stopped and checked out an old observatory. tried to take it off road to park by some old barns and crashed in the mud.

ummm?!?!

this is the funniest thing i've seen in a long time.