Twas the Day After Christmas

We are now entering a strange purgatorial time during the year, when the final embers of Christmas slowly fade into ash but the anticipation of New Year's Eve lingers in the air like a thick fog of champagne and make outs.

Luckily I was able to make a mess of my living room with these two.  They created me, by the way.

These two created my mother, which is part of the reason why I am here.  You now have read my lame attempt at genealogy.

I am not sure exactly who created this monstrosity, but I'll bet anything it had to do with Satan. 

When you wrap a turkey breast around stuffing you realize why eating is fun.

As a child I wanted nothing more than to watch a new skateboard video on Christmas day.  Over time little has changed, and this year Habitat saved my parents some shopping hassle by delivering their video to me online.  Daryl made my Christmas by coming through with some badass skating, and also getting into some bizarre Travis and Julien situations with me.

I had to enlist the help of Quynh to decipher the skateboard wizardry of Suciu.  He proceeded to bite me and eat all my yogurt.  Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Things to See Whilst Shopping in the LG

Holiday shopping can suck the joy and mirth out of Christmas faster than my father can slurp marrow out of an animal bone.  A strange image perhaps, but I feel as though it is an appropriate comparison.  Each year my father and bundle up in our warmest attire and trudge out into the freezing streets of Los Gatos in hopes of finding Christmas presents for my dear mother.  This can be an arduous task...

...unless of course the store you happen upon is serving free drinks.

Big old bucket of holiday cheer.

Free food also makes the shopping experience more enjoyable.

Men covered in rabbits playing guitar on the street are a must in Los Gatos.

The Longest Week

The average week for a human being flies by at breakneck speed, seldom yielding any spectacular events or memorable moments.  It is much easier to sift through a month in order to find nuggets of awesomeness and joy.  This first week of December however, has been of for the books. 

My presence at Candlestick has always brought good fortune.  Never been to a game that didn't end in a win!

I couldn't find the damn place, but luckily this man and his sign helped me out.

Jesse and drove down to Redlands the next day so we could skate/chill and drink beer outside of 

dilapidated houses.

The following night was the Nike Premier.  Daryl and everyone in the video crushed skateboarding beyond all recognition.  An open bar means double fisting.

Daryl was nice enough to let us all pass out on his floor that night... and allow us to collect all of the old pumpkins in his neighborhood.

Ivan and Waka joined us for the long drive home.  This sexy beast needs no filter.

I worked for a couple days just to keep myself grounded, but then it was off to the Los Gatos Christmas Parade.  C.B Hannegans had the tastiest looking float.

Strange how the worst liquor store in the South Bay has a float with a built in bike jump.  Ryan Nyquist always throws out a backflip or two.

True LG Locs enter the Black Watch thirsty and leave with red cups.  This town's got issues.

We end this week the same way it started, with 49ers football.  I had to pick my folks up from the airport and this was the nearest place with beer and a tv.

They always had a nice warm fire, comfy seats, and a black Santa.

Not to mention Kool-aide mimosas!  Odd but good. 

Happy Holidays!

Mirror Images of Beer Scrimmages

This liquor store is, and has always been, located on the corner of 6th and Williams.  Many a beer has been purchased from this particular alcohol and "food" merchant, and consequently consumed in either a respectful or abusive manner.  No beer was purchased during either of the two visits to said liquor store in the pictures below.  

Caswell steps upon the threshold of chips, candy and cola.

Nugget follows in suit, most likely about to buy a banana and coffee. 

  

Some Pics from the Past, to Save my Sorry Ass(t)

Never before in Clog history have a been so horribly negligent!  Never before have I shown such sloth and flippant nonchalance towards something I traditionally hold so dear!  Never have a gone the entire month of October without posting a Clog dedicated to the changing color of leaves or the coming of Oktoberfest!  Not even a mention of Halloween on this oh so sacred of poorly made blogspot sites!  What on earth have I become!?!  I ought to be tarred and feathered by the blogging community and dragged through the cybernetic streets of the internet, while the four or so followers I have laugh incessantly at me.  Or maybe I should just post some unused photos I have stowed away from a couple years ago... yah, that sounds much better.  

A slice of pumpkin pie and my Maine coffee shall be companions for life.

If you see the bamboo bike then you know the photo is old as dirt.  

At some point during 2011 I wanted to write a Clog highlighting my favorite skate spots within a few blocks of my parent's house.  I scrapped the idea because the post was filled with spots like this.  

Cruise through the leave and soak up the crisp breeze.

This LG pole jam was short lived but entertaining. 

I assume the buyer of this automobile chose this color in honor of the fall season.

NIght falls on Candle Stick Park.  This shall be the last fall I visit my beloved stadium.

Hopefully this one Clog makes up for the posting drought that swept through the entire month of October.  

Happy Halloween my Friends!

Roots, Rock and Raffin

After noticing all of the coverage Peter has been having, whether it be Transworld, Vogue or Better Homes and Gardens, I decided to throw a little Clog hype his way.  

Peter Raffin's skateboarding has received much praise over the years, but not so much his musical ability.  The following video takes us back to one Peter's impromptu solo recording sessions.  Here he speaks straight from the heart about a San Jose nightlife only someone with his deep ties to the city can truly understand.  What you are about to watch is considered by most to be Peter Raffin's very first music video.

 

Wine Inventions by White People

I typically dedicate my summers to vacationing in either Morocco, Scotland or at least a brief stay at my cottage in Maine that boasts a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean.  Not this summer my friends.  I have been too busy working 60 plus hours a week at different jobs to have full blown summer vacation.     I have barely even been able to properly Clog for Christ's sake!  In order to ease my way back into the world of competitive blogging, I have decided to focus this post on an invention that may change the way you lounge around in the grass while watching a concert forever.  

Yes, this is a wine glass holder that sticks into the ground so you do not have to worry about your beverage being spilled by an uneven lawn.

These two are always a step ahead of the partying game.

If none of this interests you, then here is a picture of some ribs I bbq's on 4th of July.  This summer hasn't been all work.

 

"Tell me a Story, About how you Adore me"

Lately my external hard drive has taken on the form of a stumbling drunk fool, vomiting up chunks of footage and coating the streets of cyberspace with bile and filth.  All of this is perfectly fine, because after all, what is else is the internet good for?
     In the edit I have created here for all of you loyal Cloggers I attempt to juxtapose the act of skating inside the confines of a skatepark with that of shredding in the mean streets.  I also bring into view strange and disturbing elements of life outside the realm of skating.  All of these images have been set to a Rolling Stones songs whose meaning has always been a mystery to me.  The question, "have you seen your mother baby, standing in the shadows," confuses me to this day.  I will just assume that the lyrics of this song, centered around darkness, light, and alternate realities, perfectly describe the themes of the video.  Who here has truly lived in the shadows?



ps.  Happy birthday to both Kara and Mikey.

Through Another Man's Lens Vol. 3

This marks the final installment of TAML (through another man's lens).  I think it is high time I stopped  reliving my memories, fond as they may be, through old photos taken by Lane.  The nostalgia brought upon by these images is heartwarming, but I need to move on with my damn life.  It is also hard to find photos that I can accurately give an explantation of what is contained within them.  So without further rambling, I present to you the last batch of Lane's Facebook photos I deem worthy of reposting on the Clog.  How arrogant was that last sentence!?

This photo was taken on Jesse's 21st birthday, an age that he insisted he would never make it to when we were growing up.  Jesse has since managed to existed several years beyond his self proclaimed expiration date, and sure as hell made the most of them.  Lane and Jesse are pictured here sitting on a bench at Hillbrook School in Los Gatos.  After a night of partying at Tyler's old house on Race Street, Lane, Ty, Jesse, Mikey, Thomas, and myself drove around skating whatever random spots the birthday boy desired.  Jesse and Lane has the same haircut and the innocence surrounding us on this day was magical.    

Katie has allowed me to rest my shaggy head upon the soft carpet of just about every place she has taken up residence.  For this I thank her, and hope that someday she will forgive me for all the jars of peanut butter I consumed without asking.  This picture is of Lane in his most "Lanesque" state, taken at Katie's apartment off Bascom Ave.  Lane and Katie began dating and living together around this time.  I loved how this apartment was biking distance from my parent's house, how Matt Hicks was always a regular guest, and how Lane was constantly doing something random and entertaining.

Not mush else can be said of this photo other than that it is of Clark being Clark.  He is shown here shirtless and in nature.  I couldn't tell you when or where this was taken or even if it falls in the appropriate time period of this TAML Clog post, which is 2009 to present.  this is neither here nor there, because Clark is a timeless being.  

Speaking of timeless, here is a photo of Thomas being mindless.  I met this man during the turbulent year of 2009 and he has remained a positive influence ever since.  Thomas and Lane have been through countless adventures and hopefully can reconnect somewhere down the twisted road of life. 

When Mikey turned 21 he invited all of his friends to stay with him and Courtney at her parent's cabin in Bear Valley.  What ensued was pure mayhem, and one would think that two days of complete raging insanity surely wouldn't turn into an annual tradition spanning three years.  But it did, and this was a group photo from the first visit.  Mikey and Courtney split up some time ago, so all we Bear Valley vacationers have to remember the cabin by are crude photos and priceless stories.   

Tyler and Lane living together in a one bedroom shack in Berkley probably wasn't a great idea.  It probably wasn't very sanitary either.  Twelve pack carpeting anyone?

I could probably dedicate an entire series of Clog posts to photos of Tommy's alone (note to self... create a series of posts dedicated entirely to Tommy's), but this one is a personal favorite.  I love the symmetry of Katie and I and the level of beer in each glass.  I love our facial expressions.  I remember seeing this picture and wondering whether or not we were pissed off at each other during this moment.  I want this picture touched up a bit and framed.

I seldom see Lane these days, but I assume he is doing well.  I have little to say about this picture because I know neither when nor where it was taken.  I do not know who took the picture and whether or not Lane knew it was being taken.  All I do know is that there is a Burger King in the background and Lane is smoking.  Cigarettes, ground beef,  and beats is all anyone needs to know.  Maybe through a Heineken in there for good measure.  

Chron Nguyen Strikes Again

Judging by my last few entries, it would appear that the Clog is now updated strictly once a month, and the content matter is limited mostly to pictures Lane took half a decade ago.  Up until recently I had absolutely no accuse for the lack of Clog activity (aka Clogtivity), but the recent drought of posting I blame completely on Michelle's choice to cancel our internet.  I have decided to retreat back to the safe confines of my parents house in peaceful East Los Gatos, the very place The Clog was birthed into existence, to end this dry spell.



This Clog post doesn't contain a collection of old photos taken by Lane, rather a collection of footage shot by somehow who probably has no idea how I came into possession of it.  This Jon Nguyen footage was all filmed by Matt Brouwer, who can be found today doing god knows what.   Our once tempestuous relationship is something I now look back on for a quick laugh, but at the time it yielded many conflicts and childish squabbles.  Some of these clips have already been used, some have not, and some of them showcase Matt's questionable filming period where he did not believe in the use of zooming in and out.    

While Thinking About Tom

I found myself thinking about tom the other day.  Not my father Tom, who can be found below, but Toms Waits.

After reading a series of interviews from his early career I found myself wondering, "how can someone consistently give a bizzare yet thought provoking answer to every question asked, as if it was all scripted before hand by a team of satirical comedy writers."  Is Tom Waits' overally eccentric persona a device he contrived to boost his career during it's infancy, or was he simply born with razor sharp wit and an eye for the unconventional.

  It didn't take me long for me to realize that my question was irrelevant.  Because as long as Tom's musings include gems like (when asked if he listens to music),"It's hard for me to just sit down and just do that.  I like it best when I hear it coming through the wall in a hotel room.  I like it best on a bad speaker from a block a way," then all that truly matters is that they touch on some genuinely brilliant concepts.

 

An Ode to the Vacation Shirt

Oh vacation shirt, how do I love thee, and all the wonderful emotions you and your various colorful shapes and palm trees evoke.  Nothing says, "sorry I don't give two shits about a damn thing because I'm busy sipping daiquiris," like a Hawaiian or Paisley print shirt.  And as I approach my third Redlands vacation, I find myself eager to prematurely dawn my never-been-worn vacation shirt.  But I must show restraint, because I still have another day of latte pouring and coffee grinding ahead of me, before I can dedicate every waking moment of the next four days to lounging about without a care in the world.  It would be blasphemy to dress myself in that most sacred of vacation attire a day early.  So in the meantime, let us take a gander at some of the greatest men to ever sport a vacation shirt. 

While the vacation antics of these two men were seldom relaxing or mellow, Hunter S. Thompson and Dr. Gonzo certainly lived it up fully and certainly had not a care in the world.  The controversial thing about Hunter and his vacation shirt is that supposedly he was never really on a vacation.  He had journalistic responsibilities throughout his entire drug and alcohol infused stay in Las Vegas.  Eh, could have fooled me.

Here we have another fine example of a man truly embracing the vacation shirt.  Like Hunter S. Thompson, Ace Ventura lived the freewheeling life while still doing his job.  Ace's vacation shirt is exceptionally vibrant and colorful, further accentuating his zany personality.  The world's most famous pet detective never gave a god damn about what people thought about him and took any opportunity to visit exotic lands and soak up the culture.

Ok, so perhaps my list is a little short.  But the point of all this is, as long as you maintain some semblance of work ethic and the desire to be a productive member of society, you can wear a vacation shirt and run around like a maniac annoying all those around you who are too lame to join in the party.

   

Through Another Man's Lens Vol. 2

Yes indeed, it is that time once again my children.  The all knowing, all powerful, supreme leader of The Clog will once again... shirk all creative responsibilities and create a post of stolen photos and memories from one of his dear friends.  That's right, is time for another installment of TAML (Through Another Man's Lens).  At least it's better than sleeping with another man's wife.

This next group of photos takes off relatively close to where the last ones left off.  I say relatively because the source of my material is limited solely to Lane's Facebook, and I can only imagine how seamless this timeline of our lives would be if I had access to his entire collection of photography.  But I digress.  The time period covered in this post spans roughly from 2006 through 2008.  

I have to assume this photo was taken during prom.  Hell, it could even be from the same prom picture I have in the last post, but that's alright.  What you must really take away from this photo is the classy rockstar energy Cho Master Flex bestowed upon any social gathering, be it large or small.  This was during the height of Cho's rise to fame, and for a moment we all thought it might go to his pretty little head.  But the man has kept his cool throughout the whole ordeal and remains a Legend to this very day.

Lane was really bring his camera out a lot during these times.  He also was out skateboarding quite a bit, which led to photos like these.  Jesse, Mikey, Lane, and I had been skating the Guadelupe bank on this cold winter day.  Lane felt that it would be a good idea to take some photo's on these oversized dice, and I managed to get up onto a few bs 180 nosegrinds.  I doubt I actually landed this, but I like the cow trucks I am riding and how small of a board I have.  

This will forever be one of my favorite photos of all time.  As I write this caption I cannot help but wonder who has been behind the lens of all these pictures Lane is in.  Did that lunatic grab and nearest person and ask, "hey dude, take a picture of me and my friend!"  I suppose that is of little importance because the night this picture was taken I turned 21 years old.  On this glorious day I went to biology class, shot my first sequence with Wes, skated sunnyvale with all da homies, and eventually got drunk at Blossom Hill Park with Lane and a handful of other awesome humans.  And on top of that, I was legally able to purchase beer.  That little bottle of Hennessy was given to me at the skatepark by Jon Choi, but I cannot remember whether or not I drank it.  On this night Lane for some reason swore that he would hit me up everyday for a six pack of Corona, which unfortunately he did.  

This picture was taken during Reggae on the River 2007.  I was not a part of this trip, so therefore cannot accurately give an account of the events that transpired.  I can however say that my only real regret in life is not attending one of these functions.  I stayed behind because I could not imagine spending any length of time away from my skateboard.  On second thought maybe I was better off just skating my box.  The truth is, I guess I will never know.

This picture was taken on Jesse's 20th birthday.  J Bone is stoked like he always is when there is red cup in hand, Peter is being a loser and drinking water, Cho Cho is making a mandatory legend appearance, Xtina is looking fine as always, and Lane is fully embracing booze.  Jesse held this party at his mother's house in Almaden and I recall it being an awesome time.  I was somewhat delirious because I had stayed up most of the night making a "Best of Jesse" montage.  I went to Starbucks at two in the morning to buy espresso but they were closed, and then 3 years later, I started working there.