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. 

Hair Styles for Miles

It has been a blazing hot minute since my last Clogging.  And to make matters worse, this post is going to contain a collection of photos I didn't even take.  Unbeknownst to the man himself, this is a Chase Newton guest post.  Try and guess the theme of all these photos.

                                     Taylor is shown here sporting a nice healthy mustache.

Same mustache, different hat position.

I am not sure who is behind the shaver, but the results indicate the work of a true pro. 

  

Old Dirt Unearthed

Of the things I regret doing in life, like going to prom, the one that trumps all others is buying and owning a Canon GL2.  What strange illogical portion of my brain did I use while making this camcorder purchase?  I do not recall getting some unheard of deal on my GL2.  If fact, I am almost certain a VX1000 would have been cheaper.  

Putting the filming knowledge I now have aside for a moment, I do recall having many great times with my Canon GL2.  I captured some priceless moments, some incredible tricks (most of which would have probably looked better through the lens of a VX), and even made a couple mediocre videos.  

I have recently been digging deeper and deeper into the archives to find hidden gems.  Perhaps like dwarfs in a Tolkien novel digging too far into the mountains of Middle-Earth, I have tunneled too deep into the Archives, and unearthed something dark and evil.  Or maybe I have just discovered a treasure trove of intriguing footage, unfortunately filmed with a shitty camera.  

"Don't you just hate it when you're trying to skate, but you can't concentrate because you have Brotha Lynch lyrics in your head."  - Cody Wayne.