Flora Fauna & Merryweather

If you want something bad enough, earn it. Anything worth doing will actually take time and discipline. I wanted to become a derby girl after watching Whip It. I wanted a $300 pair of Reidell skates to accomplish this dream. Instead I bought a $35 pair of Chicagos and told myself to go to the rink once a week until I could skate like mutha futha Van Halen. Needless to say, only one week at the rink and almost two years later, I did not earn those Reidells.

The first major I ever declared in college was photography, but I dropped it after I let the intimidation of my more-talented peers get to me. But I didn't give up photography altogether; Christmas of 2010 I bought myself a camera. I wanted a DSLR, but knew I needed to put in the effort for that price tag. So I bought a cheaper point & shoot with manual features so I could manual myself to the top of my game. One year and thousands of photos later, I earned myself my beloved Nikon, Annie.

I also had to earn Fauna, who made her spring debut a few days ago. The taste of summer draws nigh.

p.s. Yes, Simon is wearing a bibdana.

It's called a "sport" and there are "teams" and stuff

In light of my recent posts, I've noticed that some people have a generally bad attitude towards longboarding and associate it with dudebros. I would just like to clarify that there is a difference between this:

and this:

And no, I didn't purchase my board at Zumiez, thank you very much.

Raisin' (Hell) in the Sun Pt 3

Part 3

Raisin' (Hell) in the Sun Pt 2

Part 2

Raisin' (Hell) in the Sun Pt 1

My biggest bummer of the summer is that I don't get to longboard (though growing my little pork bun is totally worth it). Instead I took some shots of the gang during McKenzie's birthday slide session.

There were so many pictures I liked it was hard to narrow them down, so I've split them up into three posts so I can overwhelm your blog feed rather than your browser. Check my FB for the full set.

Did you see the words?

These are only a handful of the bajillion shots we had taken a few months ago by Tiana Godfrey. Thanks Liz & Jacob for turning us on to her!

So, back to longboarding

Remember when I blogged about how I just HAD to have this board? Well, I have it now, and I've had it for quite a while . . . and you should all know . . .

that I LOVE IT.

It's to the point where the Spud and I don't get along anymore and we've had to have long talks about why our relationship just isn't working. The Spud is all take, take, take . . . but the Apex just keeps on giving.

In other words, my 90 lb, 5 ft frame is just way better accommodated to the Apex. The Spud is a heavier, wider, stiffer board and the Apex's super flexy and lightweight bod fits perfectly to mine. Its spring loaded trucks actually respond to my weight. With the Spud I had to throw myself hard, often to no results.

But Spud lovers don't worry . . . it will always be excellent for downhill, smooth, gentle rides. The Apex has become my everything-else board. Besides, Seve loves the Spud and it fits his manly frame quite well. Though he prefers his Dervish with the new Paris trucks and Durian wheels I got him for his birthday. Nothing says true love like new longboarding wheels.

A word on longboard graphics: I'm not a fan of longboard artwork in general, Loaded being the exception. So, I asked the illustrator we hired at our office to do some off-the-job commissioned work for me on some sweet new graphics. BUT as much as I don't like my current graphics, they're kind of a status symbol. It's pretty gratifying to my ego when people recognize the Spud or Apex when I'm carrying my board. Silly, I know, but I'm not sure if I want to get rid of my "hey, look at how cool I am" status markers, even if they get replaced by gorgeous illustrations more suited to my style. I need all the cool I can get. Just some thoughts.

p.s. I apologize for not having any actual pictures of me longboarding, for those who've asked (my mother not included - longboarding scares her). I rarely post pictures of myself anyway, but I'll remedy that soon.

p.p.s. I owe all my longboarding love and skillz to these guys.

Got all my stars aligned

A big THANKS to everyone who wished me congratulations and kind words about my previous "oh gosh I'm pregnant" post! Now that you're all in the know, I feel I can truly state my feelings on the matter.

I'm terrified to be pregnant. This wasn't planned. Sure, Seve and I joked about trying and every once in a while I'd see baby related items and get a little spark of excitement thinking how cool it'd be to have a kid. Gosh, I even bought a baby hat and coat some many odd weeks ago because I thought they were totally cool and didn't want to pass them up. But I stowed them away in the closet thinking I'd pull them out sometime after Seve graduated, when we were originally planning on having kids. Now that this reality is suddenly upon us, I'm scared.

Luckily, the majority of my friends understand how I feel, and my family's excitement over the matter has helped to make it exciting for me. And I really don't have any reason to be scared. I have a good job with good insurance. We have family who love and support us. It's not like I'm Juno or anything.

To be honest, I don't even feel pregnant yet - I just feel sick! So, so, so sick. Nauseous and pukey and heartburn and sick. It doesn't feel like I'm carrying some future bundle of joy, just some new type of flu. Everything I eat looks, smells, and sounds disgusting. I took the last two days off work because I just couldn't function, and well, because yesterday was my birthday. Seve stayed home with me yesterday, taking the day off classes and convincing me to get out of the house. We took a nice walk around town , and it did actually help me to feel better.

He also surprised me with a new mp3 player for our car! AND guess what arrived in the mail? And guess who can't ride (well, slide) it because of new circumstances?

Boo, boo, boo. Maybe once morning sickness leaves me alone, I'll start to get excited. And maybe once I get my first ultrasound, it'll start to feel real. But for now, boo.

By the way, my due date is 1/1/11. And my cousin recently found out she's pregnant as well, and her due date is 1/11/11. I told her our stars were aligned.

Yes, a Pillowcase

Holy cow, so much has been on my mind lately.

The Normal Stuff That's Been On My Mind:
-Negotiating my salary at work. Makes me feel like a big girl and a child at the same time.
-My desire for the Apex 34 (back in stock in 3 WEEKS!!) and Seve's desire for the Landyachtz Switch (we're not fond of the graphic though) . . . versus our budget.
-My birthday and his birthday that could justifiably bring us these longboards . . .

The Transitional Normal/Crazy Stuff That's Been On My Mind:
-Imma gonna make a dress out of a pillow case! (via Style Rookie via Sassy)

The Crazy Stuff That's Been On My Mind:
-Seve was cast in the Barber of Seville! No, that's not crazy, this is: he plays an old man and has to shave his head. Partially. Like, appear as though he's balding with that half circle of hair remaining around the sides of his head. His precious head. Why not just let him wear a bald head piece?
-Seve's laptop is injured. The top right part of his screen has this horrible "black eye" sustained in his backpack during a longboard injury (of course . . .) It's so frustrating because the rest of the laptop works great, it's just this giant blotch on his screen so he can't see anything there. And replacing the screen will cost half of what a new laptop will. What to do, what to do?

Also, I've been thinking of reinstating the grunge party by way of my birthday this month! And minus Mary Kay. Happy Grunge Birthday to me!

Desire

I am totally digging this board right now. My birthday is a mere month away and Original's Apex 34 is calling to me. It's incredibly lightweight (just under 5 lbs!), incredibly flexy, low to the ground, and supposedly great for sliding. Unfortunately, it's out of stock. And after an email to Original, I learned that it probably won't be back in stock for another two months.

Boo.

In the mean time, I'll be re-graphicizing my Spud. And when/if I get the Apex 34, it'll get a makeover as well. I'm just not too keen on these street/gangsta/gnarly dude!/graffiti graphics.

Not that I don't enjoy me some good graffiti.

Via Dolk.

My interest in the Apex 34 was sparked when this weekend, out on a nightly ride with friends through the ever-enchanting Broulim's parking lot, a mysterious car pulled up to Amy and asked what board she was riding. We all quickly rode over to her (we've seen Taken) when the driver turned out to be a well-intentioned longboard-maker who quickly showed off his handmade board complete with the signature springy Original trucks. He let us each have a turn on it, and those trucks are amazing. For a 90 lber like myself, I need trucks like that if I my weight is going to make any kind of dent in a tight turn, and the more I slide the more I wish my board had a little more flex to it.

Two months, two months! Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.

Sun peeking out

I’m so happy it’s spring, even if it’s just dumpy-gray spring and the snow has yet to completely disappear. The roads were clear enough this weekend that we went longboarding, which I hadn’t done in over 6 months so I was nervous at first, but I picked it right back up. Back when I first got a bike, I remember feeling dorky with little confidence as I rode around town . . . then I picked up longboarding, and riding a bike was totally easy in comparison. Now that I’m trying to get confident at roller skating, longboarding feels like a piece of cake . . .

I ride a Landyachtz Spud (the tree design of which I HATE and can’t wait to sand down and redo myself). The Spud isn’t so much a drop deck as it is a ‘lowered’ deck. I love riding it because the lowered curves feel like they hug my feet and I’m in control, especially when sliding.






A little on longboard advertising: most companies opt for a city or ‘concrete wave’ route when advertising for their boards. Riders look like your typical skateboarder, do skateboard-y tricks, or "dancing," and hang out in typical city scapes like parking lots or skate parks. But I love Loaded Longboard’s advertising—it takes you into nature and allows you to feel free with your board. Riding down winding roads surrounded by trees with mountains in the distance. Even the boards themselves support a more pure feel, with tranquil graphics instead of cheesy graffiti, and they’re made of bamboo! Loaded’s #1 board is even called the “Dervish,” which my husband and some friends ride.

Main Entry: der•vish
Pronunciation: \ˈdər-vish\
Function: noun
Etymology: Turkish derviş, literally, beggar, from Persian darvīsh
Date: 1585
1 : a member of a Muslim religious order noted for devotional exercises (as bodily movements leading to a trance)
2 : one that whirls or dances with or as if with the abandonment of a dervish

On that note, I’m actually not very good at longboarding. I ran into a snow bank on Saturday and totally freaked out some little kids who were watching. I have yet to master speed wobbles and I’ve only conquered one slide. It’s a goal of mine this summer to nail down a Pendulum (“pendi,” “pengi,” whatever), and to successfully board down Targhee. It's fun to bundle up and go out for a morning ride, rather than a morning jog.

TOP 15 OF 2009.

Did you know that I wrote this post on December 13? That's right, I'm using Blogger's scheduled post feature. Since I'll be traveling to Kiev then flying back to America during the time I would have been able to publish this post, I wrote it now and scheduled it to be published later. You know, to make the topic more relevant since it's a New Year's Eve-y post and all.

So, as the title suggests, here is my summation of my top 15 favorite/best/life changing things/moments/stuffs of 2009! (in no particular order) Happy New Year!

1. Russia

Duh! I only spent 4 months of the year here teaching English to some awesome kids with my awesome husband having the most awesome time of my awesome life!

2. St. Vincent's "Actor"

Particularly "Laughing with a Mouth of Blood;" the song is much more lighthearted than the title suggests.

3. This Blog

Prior to starting this thing, I wasn't even writing in my journal anymore because all my writing juices were going towards school and/or career aspirations. It's good to have an outlet. Ironically, one of my school and/or career aspirations sucking my writing juices away was Outlet.

4. Marrying Seve

This actually happened on Dec 27, 2008, but I didn't get to post it in my "TOP 15 OF 2008!" because such a list was never written because this blog didn't exist yet (see #3). Also, it's in the "TOP 15 OF MY LIFE!" so why not include it in this list since the happy event occurred a mere five days before 2009?

5. Graduating

Finally! Anyone else feel like school never ends? Because I'm here to tell you that it does. I should also note here: working as a copy editor for the Scroll was an excellent part of 2009.

6. Getting a Job

The whole point of my school existence. Dreams! Fulfilled! (It's actually a paid internship with the potential to be a full-time job once my four months end) Dreams! Nearly! Fulfilled!

7. Spokane, WA

More specifically, the advertising competition I attended there with my team for the American Advertising Federation. We got third! Yeah!

8. Bad Haircut

No, really. Taught me a lot about having confidence in who I am on the inside.

9. My Apartment

Though I wish I could put "getting a dog" here, my apartment won't allow pets. But honestly, I think we have the coolest place in Rexburg. It's a 100 year old building and we live in what used to be the presidential suite (Eleanor Roosevelt once stayed there). It has a rock wall and the last tenant gave it an excellent paint job so it's all artsy, and it has a balcony. Oh, and we can afford it.

10. Idaho

This place seriously goes underappreciated.

11. Animal Collective's "Merriweather Post Pavilion"

Such a romantic album. No, really, I mean that. First Animal Collective album where the lyrics actually speak to me.

12. Book Arts

Did I ever tell you I took a class on how to make books?

13. Bat For Lashes "Two Suns"

By the end of the day, this is always what I'm listening to.

14. Longboarding

Anyone who knows me knows I was born without an athletic bone in my body. Thanks to Seve, I now have at least five athletic bones in my body, i.e., he taught me how to longboard (and slide!) and I ain't so bad at it.

15. Celia & Joe

You know who you are.

I just realized how awesome it is that I wrote this Dec 13 and it will be published Dec 31. It's a number switcheroo! Ha!