life as i know it...

sixth day of winning...

2011-06-28T13:05:00.002-04:00

BREAKFAST: It is good that we did not have any rule about repeating meals! This is my 3rd day with the now infamous Fruit Loops. But I have a small secret to expose... these are actually the Kroger off-brand fruit loops. Not the real deal. But they are still quite scrumptious.

5 days of foods...

2011-06-28T12:59:00.003-04:00

DAY 5...

BREAKFAST: Special K on its own is an alright choice for a breakfast food, but if you add in the "Chocolatey Delight" and its a whole new game. Add to that some 2% reduced fat milk from Kroger and you have one tasty breakfast. I also drank some coffee... as I do every day.

LUNCH: Leftovers are a wonderful thing... yes they are. Today's lunch consisted of left-over General Tso's chicken. There was not enough rice, however, and so I had to make the dreaded "minute rice" to make up for the shortfall. Instant rice sucks... don't eat it unless you are severely short on time or have no other options. I had somewhere to be shortly after this meal, and so I didn't have the time to make the long grain brown rice we had in the cupboard.

DINNER: Lean Cuisine makes many simple meal solutions... one of them is a bag full of stuff that you throw in the microwave for 8.5 minutes. Out pops some kind of meal... in this case a 3 cheese chicken pasta concoction. Pretty tasty... not ideal... but pretty tasty!

sunday sunday sunday...

2011-06-26T22:43:00.003-04:00

Day 4...

BREAKFAST: Today I once again went for a simple breakfast... Fruit Loops. You already know my story on this meal. Please check back to day 2 for additional information.

LUNCH: Remember when I said I made too much Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad?? Well I did... and so Mandy and I ate it for Lunch today. Usually when you eat this the chicken and pasta are both hot, but since it was leftovers they were cool. Still tasty, but I prefer it fresh out the oven... yup!

DINNER: I have a passion for Chinese food... well at least the American version. Because I am not able to go to one of my favorite chinese joints (ie. East Buffet... aka the 4.98)... tonight I made some General Tsos chicken with some white rice. This bowl turned out to be massive, and so I only ate half of what was in the bowl. More leftovers are calling! PS - I don't usually eat Chinese food with a fork... chopsticks are a necessity. Since this was not made by a person of Chinese decent I have decided that it is okay that I ate this with a fork.

the quest continues...

2011-06-25T14:00:00.004-04:00

BREAKFAST: Day 3 breakfast is here, and today I decided I would have yet another classic morning food... toast. Upon my toast I spread some chunky peanut butter, and atop that was some local honey. Now rumor has it that if you eat local honey that it will help you with your allergies because the bee's and pollen and yada yada... I don't know if I buy it, but I did buy this honey at the Woodbine Farmers Market from a local honey farmer from Goodletsville. Good stuff!

LUNCH: This meal is one that was prepared many times in my college days. My good friend Marty introduced me to this delightful concoction, and I have made it ever since. Behold the infamous Chicken Pasta Ceasar Salad. You get your greens, your protein, your whole wheat pastas... top it of with some croutons and parmesan cheese and voila! I think I made too much... I see leftovers in the future!

DINNER: Once we were finished eating lunch and took an afternoon nap there were some tasks around the house to take care of. After cleaning up the house, mowing the lawn, fertilizing the lawn, and then watching the lawn get watered for a while... it was dinner time. Because it was so nice outside it I decided to fire up the grill and make some kabobs! The chicken marinated for a while, and then once they were almost done I brushed a small amount of honey BBQ sauce on them. SO GOOD! We also had some BBQ potatoes. The kind that my mother always made while I was growing up.

BBQ... day 2...

2011-06-24T12:17:00.005-04:00

Day 1 is in the books, and now it is on to number two! I think Regina has already conceded that she will owe me a couple tasty BBQ sandwiches... but I still need to document this week in foods...

BREAKFAST: Today was a classic breakfast that goes way back into my memories. My mother never really got us sugary cereals, and so whenever I went to Grama and Grampa's house I would get a colourful (we were in Canada and so that is how you spell it) bowl of Fruit Loops! This is not a regular part of my morning routine, but a nice change from Life or Honey Nut Cheerios.

LUNCH: The joy of making pasta for dinner is that you almost always have leftovers for lunch the next day! Opa! (not Oprah) I also had a Fiber 1 bar and a Cherry Coke Zero... but that was in yesterdays photo... didn't want them to look the same! ha. All of these tasty delights were placed in a plastic bag by yours truly and then brought to work for a mid day meal.

DINNER: Well my sister-in-law was in for a pleasant surprise when she asked Mandy and I if we wanted to stay for dinner tonight. She was going to make a lasagna for dinner... and so in order for me to be able to eat I took over the preparation. She sat back with a glass of wine... and I did the "hard work" of baking the lasagna. Now this is not the most difficult dinner to make, but Stouffer's lasagna is really good! I also toasted some garlic bread, and made some chocolate chip cookies for desert. Not a bad little meal!

the quest for 2 BBQ sandwiches...

2011-06-23T16:50:00.005-04:00

So... In an attempt to get a guy at Rocketown to not wear sunglasses for 2 days Regina told him she would buy him 2 BBQ sandwiches if he could pull it off. This conversation was going on in the offices, and soon Ben was upset that he didn't get a similar offer... and so soon everyone was getting a task that they would have to complete for the ultimate reward of 2 BBQ sandwiches.

Now for some reason when it got around to me it was no longer a 2 day deal... but a 1 week deal. Regina seems to think that I would be unable to make every meal that I eat for an entire week... no eating out... no having Mandy make me food... all prepared by myself. Now I am sure she has already forgotten about this little challenge, but I am now going to document this process to ensure my reward of 2 BBQ sandwiches at the end of this week. I am thinking Jacks BBQ downtown should suffice... so here we go my friends... Day 1.

BREAKFAST: Today I decided to make myself a classic breakfast... the "Cowboy Eggs." Don't know who named it or why they are for cowboys, but its bread with a whole cut in the center. You then fry the egg inside the vacant space between the crusts. Brilliant... right? Top that off with a cup of coffee... too good.

LUNCH: Simplicity was key today as I didn't have much time before having to leave for work. It's a turkey and cheese sandwhich, a couple tasty snacks, and a Cherry Coke Zero. How delightful.

DINNER: Tonight was a rather simple meal... pasta. We had some kind of "veggie rotini" pasta in the cupboard that has a full serving of vegetables in each 4oz serving. On top of that was a nice mixture of alfredo and red sauces with a light sprinkling of some shredded mozzarella cheese (we were out of parmesan).

rocking on a rocking chair...

2011-06-20T11:31:00.006-04:00

So we started to rip out the bathroom, and then decided we should probably work outside before the heat of the summer kicked in. We worked on replacing some old beds around the house, and then decided to take care of the front of the house. In the first picture you will see our old front porch with its nasty... rusting... bending... iron supports. We replaced those with wood, and built a little wooden front porch so we can put a chair on it.

Its not completely done yet... but this is where we take a break until after the summer. Time to get back working on the bathroom!

before.

after.

baths, rooms, and demolition...

2011-03-14T21:56:00.004-04:00

We have begun another little remodel here at the Sloan household. We are gutting the bathroom, and starting all over again! We have a couple more hours of work to take the linoleum, ceiling, and bathtub out... then it will be time to start putting it back together. Good times...

We love you Nana...

2010-06-03T11:42:00.002-04:00

Yesterday our favorite Nana went to be with the Lord. I don't know what all to say, but I do know that she will be missed dearly. I love you so much Nana! And I look forward to one day seeing you again.

Here is a photo of my lovely lady and I the day before my wedding. I am so happy she was able to be there.

benches, planters, and plants in benches...

2010-06-01T10:53:00.003-04:00

Just like many of the people whom I follow in this blogger world... I have neglected this thing as of late. What can I say - I have been busy. This weekend my beautiful wife and I decided the build a planter bench for our patio. I snooped around the internet for some that I liked, and then we made this. Its already getting used for sitting, and now we need some plants for planting. How exciting.

the industry...

2009-10-29T21:40:00.002-04:00

So today I took a quick photo for Tony and his group... "the industry." One day they will be big time, and then I will sell prints of this photo for millions of dollars!

i got married...

2009-09-14T09:55:00.003-04:00

So... Mandy and I got married on Saturday! Yes, Sir!!! I am sure there will be more to say later, but here is a photo of the wedding party.

Thank you Billy for ColorEfex... making photos beautiful!

safety first...

2009-08-28T12:32:00.003-04:00

So... a bunch of us Rocketown folk are going to be doing a fundraiser that we are calling R.R.A.T. - the Rocketown Ride Across Tennessee. It is a 158 mile ride from KY, through TN, and ending in ALABAMA. You should sponsor me... yup... who is in for $1.00/mile?? I bought a hat to wear when we go on the ride... my riding hat... aka a helmet. I don't know what it is, but all bike helmets are goofy looking. Here are some photos:

it's been a long time...

2009-07-15T23:41:00.003-04:00

I have not updated this in quite some time... and I probably could have a number of times. First and foremost, I am getting married! Somehow I convinced Mandy to marry me, and so that is kind of exciting. September 12th... get excited. Here is a collage from Ali and Jared's wedding. We danced outside for the photographers... it was fun.

Since getting engaged I also filled my truck with mulch for $25 bucks, mulched the beds at my house, drove "Big Red" in my backyard, convinced Chad to move into my spot at the dobbs house, and made a website for Ben.

Thats all.

still pretending to shoot photos...

2009-05-27T02:02:00.001-04:00

So I am trying to get some photos together for a photo show at Rocketown/Sixth Ave on June 21st... Go Skateboarding Day. We have 3 or 4 photographers in Nashville putting some pictures together to show in the coffee bar for a month or so, and seeing as though I have been off my game for a while it was time to get out and start shooting. Here is one I will probably be showing... Andy Ferro doing a Back Smith. Yes sir...

full pipe fun...

2009-05-20T01:10:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I pulled out my old trusty camera to take some photos. There was a time that I shot pictures all the time, but with the busyness of life I have simply not taken many at all. Today I went out with some of the skatepark guys to a full pipe. Basically this is a huge metal toilet paper roll... that must have held something... at some time... ha. Today it was skated, and I got a few photos for you to take a look at. Pretty crazy really... and painfully loud... and painfull for a few of the guys that fell... especially Blake.

mini ramps and sun burns...

2009-05-14T00:34:00.003-04:00

It has been a while since I last updated this, and that is because I have been crazy busy. You can see some of what has been going on with me on the new Sixth Ave site. We have a blog incorporated into it, and I have been updating that some... pulling me away from this.

The past couple weekends I was working with Randy on building this mini-ramp for a guy in Hendersonville. If I built a ramp in my backyard then it would be just like this one... yup.

stone mountain park park...

2009-04-07T00:01:00.004-04:00

This past weekend was our first annual "Sr. Trip," and we took a group of guys to Stone Mountain... just outside of Atlanta, GA. We had a random group of guys, skateboards, bocce balls, washers, food, tents, laser light shows, and an apparent lack of deodorant. Overall a great trip... but I am still trying to recover.

Pretty much everywhere we stopped we pulled out the bocce ball set and the washers set. This photo was taken during our 1.5 hour driving break at a QT gas station. Good times were had.

A local church donated their van for the trip... so we were rocking a sweet southern baptist ride all week.

Stone Mountain in all its glory...

I stopped writing under the photos because it was taking too long. Sorry.

UFC fight nights...

2009-04-02T19:41:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Rocketown was offered some free tickets to Spike TV's UFC Fight Night in Nashville. This is the first time it has been in Nashville, and so I was down for sure. I went along with 9 other guys from the skatepark, and we watched a little UFC action. For those wondering what UFC is... well... its mixed martial arts... kinda like boxing without the gloves and way more intense. This was a good night... with a couple good fights...

we put the red in redneck...

2009-03-27T01:27:00.008-04:00

So this evening Ben, Big Red, and I did a little redneck car towing. We hooked one of Ben's minis to my bumper with a tow rope to move it from his house to a warehouse. Ben has a bit of a side business importing these tiny little cars... VintageClassicMotorsports.com ... and he took me to his partners showroom where they are storing/working on them. As you will see in the photos... there are a lot of crazy nice old cars at this place. Model-As, Bently, MGs, Porche, etc... Pretty crazy.

Enjoy the photos...

the spring is breaking...

2009-03-19T23:23:00.002-04:00

It has been a little too long since I last posted in this, and so here is a bit of a post. This week is spring break at Sixth Ave, and we are having camps. In the past I was running these, but now I have passed the torch on to Mr. Danny Dimov. He is taking care of business... so I don't have to. I took some pictures at camp today - http://www.sixthavenueskatepark.com/gallery/springbreak09.html - and here are a couple of them.

Casey Stokes and one of the campers...

Danny, Brad, and Jordan... holding it down.

Spring Break 09 Camps...

ramps are built with tools...

2009-02-22T23:19:00.003-05:00

Next weekend we are having our 6th Anniversary at Sixth Avenue Skatepark, and so we are having a contest. Part of the contest is an "Etnies Best Trick" contest, and in an attempt to make that a little more fun we started some building. Over the past 2 weekends we have ripped out old/useless sections of the park to make this:

1. a little 2 flat 2 stairset for kids to jump down
2. drop ledge/maual pad thing

Kids like the stairs, and we just finished the other section. Hopefully everyone enjoys it and the event goes well. I am exhausted now. Time to sleep.

princess sloany...

2009-02-22T01:30:00.000-05:00

Here is yet another video of my niece... this past Christmas. It's story time with Sloany...

big red...

2009-02-19T12:00:00.004-05:00

Over the past few months I have been doing a lot of "handyman" type things, and have needed a truck on many occasions. For a while I had use of a sweet little Ford Ranger, but that is no longer an option. Now I have this to use... Big Red... it is a 1997 F150 that I bought a few weeks back and got a sweet deal on. She looks really pretty in this photo, but there is some damage on the passenger side and the interior is less then perfect... but it works for me. I have a work truck!! ha.

hit the road jack...

2009-02-09T19:17:00.004-05:00

Today Mandy and I went out to the Williamson County Animal Rescue, and Mandy walked out with her new dog Jack!! He is a lab/beagle mix, and is a great little dog. Currently he is laying on Mandy's lap sleeping while we watch The Dog Whisperer. Buddy and Jack seem to be getting along pretty well... in the second picture you will notice Buddy giving Jack a big lick!

Take a gander!

health and $100...

2009-02-08T21:55:00.003-05:00

So... today I started a little bet with Ben Cissell. And yes, Ben Cissell... the drummer of Audio Adrenaline.

First person to drop 30 pounds wins $100.
After 6 months...
- If winner gains more then 5 pounds back he give the loser $100 back
- If loser gains more then 5 pounds back he gives the winner an additional $50

Today was our weigh-in... I came in at 238 exactly, and Ben is at 235.8... here is a photo (sorry about the quality)

babies love baby einstein...

2009-01-28T01:06:00.001-05:00

I present to you Sloan Grace Tompkins... my neice... the cutest child you may ever be so lucky to meet. This video is from when she was about a year old (if i remember correctly), and she is watching a Baby Einstein video. Note the impressive foot movement and graceful arm dancing... you will enjoy this video.

panorama...

2009-01-13T01:00:00.005-05:00

I have been slow to get photos up of Mandy's house... almost completed... but here are a few. She is finally moved in, and so is her new roommate Maria. There is still some organizing to do, some small projects to finish up, but she is now able to live in the house... which is nice.

This is Mandy's room. I didn't have my nice camera, and so I took 3 photos and put them together in photoshop quickly.

Welcome to the living room... once again 3 photos together. In the photo is Jacob, Grannie, and Aliya.

And finally the bath. I took this photo first and didn't think about the panoramic shot. You still kinda get the idea... i think it turned out nicely!

fathers like to pester...

2008-12-27T13:11:00.006-05:00

My father is sitting beside me and has been pestering me about some curtain rod... and about photos of Mandy's house... and so these are what you get. I lost my camera charger for about 2 weeks, and I finally found it the other day... and so now for photos from a while ago.

1. Bathroom before tile - redguard membrane painted over the cement board.
2. Me tiling the floor, and Mandy supervising... my hair looks funny.
3. Bedroom 1 finished with hardwood... looking so good!
4. Room 1 and bathroom... no grout in the tile.

I am now finished with all of the hardwoods, done tiling and grouting in the bathroom, and just need to install the bathroom fixtures so Mandy can use it. She moves in on the 31st... the day we go back to Nashville from visiting the fam.

Thats all for now. Merry Christmas.

still working...

2008-12-02T11:18:00.005-05:00

So I have been working on the house... but simply have not brought my camera with me. I took some photos with someone elses camera, but never actually uploaded them to my computer. Here is some of what has been going on...

Replaced an exterior wall, put up OSB and insulation, and put up some new vinyl siding. Can you tell where the little bathroom window used to go??

Bathroom progess... there is a tub installed, cement board installed around the tub surround, and the beginning of the drywall.

This is the 28 boxes of hardwood floors I will be installing in 1.5-2 weeks from now.

monday's get even longer...

2008-11-17T18:53:00.006-05:00

My monday started pretty early... I had to get George's truck, and so I was at his house at 7:15am to switch out cars. I don't usually get up until 9am, and so that was early for me. Mandy's neighbor - Alfonso - offered to help me with replacing the rotten wall in the bathroom today... and he is a master.

This is what it looked like under the tub... old subfloor... i took it out.

We put up a temporary support to prevent the ceiling joists from sagging down, and then I ripped out the old wall (left the siding) and subfloor.

Then we replaced some rotten wood and put some 2x8's in place to sure up the old joists, raised the floor about an inch with a hydrolic jack to make it level, installed the new subfloor, and then put the wall into place. Now I need another full day to pull off all the siding and replace the osb on the outside.

And yes, this did take more then 30 min, but the wall itself went up in about 25min... it was everything else that took forever. done and done.

this should be on tv...

2008-11-08T15:42:00.007-05:00

The Home and Garden channel should be in Nashville filming this little DIY project... Mandy's house. All the painting is completed, and as I feared from the beginning... the floors under the carpet are terrible. With a little research and thought I have come upon a new project: Hardwood Floors.

Here is the house from the street. Note the pile of wood to the left of the main door... that is the old hardwood floors from the living room. They were in un-salvageable shape, and instead of simply covering it with some cheap laminate or carpet I am going to install new hardwood in the livingroom, small hallway, and the bedrooms. Seems like a big task, but it is totally doable... and not to mention the fact that it will look incredible when it's finished.

Here is a shot of the floor in the living room. What you see is the underlayment they used 50+ years ago when the put the hardwood down. It will be taken up and hardwoods laid on the subfloor benieth... with some new insulating underlayment perhaps. Also... Mandy is becoming quite the master painter!

The other major project that must be completed before Mandy moves in is the bathroom. The photo on the left shows the bathroom before removing the cast iron tub... which weighs 300lbs. easily. George and myself took it out... it was fun. The back wall you see has a lot of rot from the window, and can move back and forth about 2 inches. To solve that problem Mandy's neighbor has offered his services... 8 2x4's and about 30 min will give us a new wall on Monday. Then I will be replacing some rotten plywood outside under the siding before moving back inside to install a new subfloor and then a new tub and some plumbing.

Where are the video camera's filiming the next DIY show? Lots of work is going into this, but it is going to be worth it. The house will look incredible once everything is done... no doubt. Thats all for now.

balloons can be fun...

2008-11-02T01:09:00.008-04:00

Hallooween night was a pretty good time at the sixth ave... we had some candy, a few costumes, and we blew up 2000 balloons and put them all in the bowl. Everyone had a good time, and afterwards a few of us went to Pie in the Sky. The pizza was great, but the service sucked.

[1]Matt does a blunt to fakie in the balloon bowl
[2]Hair, stranger, girl

[1] shop group photo
[2] nathaniel is two-faced

[1] bradley has a cool hat
[2] blake looks awkward

[1] andy looks awkward

Mandy Bought a House...

2008-10-25T00:25:00.008-04:00

I have been slacking a little bit on the posts lately... but mostly because i have been busy at the Sixth Ave and painting Mandy's house. These are some before photos of her newly purchased house... I will have an outdoor photo soon too. They do not really show how rough the walls/carpet/etc... really are, but I am sure the after photos will give a better idea.

That's all for now.....

whitey... not just a baseball player

2008-10-08T21:51:00.004-04:00

So I have a wonderful dog named Buddy and he is everything you could hope for in man's best friend. I have had him since June I believe, and recently I have wondered if he needed a friend to hang out with. I mean - more then a friend... he needs a brother, and so I have been on the search.

No - I did not get the idea when I found Chester Copperpot and Teddy Rosevelt... I have been thinking about it for weeks, and came across this little Lab mix. I think he has some Jack Russel Terrier in him, is cute, and is completely deaf. Can't hear a thing. I kind of have him on loan right now to see how he is with buddy and if he works with the house... his nickname is currently "whitey," "Deaf Dog," and "Mr. White." If I end up keeping him he will get an official name... and it is looking like that may happen. I think he is fitting in quite nicely in the Sloan household.....

chester copperpot...

2008-10-02T18:01:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I got out of bed a little later then usual... mostly because I had about an 11 hour day on Tuesday. I went to the burrito joint down the road to get my $5 burrito, and then I began my drive down Nolensville towards Rocketcity. About half way to work I came across 2 dogs sauntering down the middle of the road. One was an older, chunky cockerspaniel... and followed closely behind him was a tiny tiny little chiuaua. As a dog owner and lover I had to stop and pick them up. They did not look like strays, and were probably going to get hit otherwise...

Meet Chester Copperpot and Theodor Roosevelt:

Chester was pretty much awesome. That dog can jump... high, and off of really high things with no fear. Teddy kinda smells, almost got beat up by Buddy for continually trying to hump him, and he would not stop barking when he was in the backyard. I found their owner on Craigslist and dropped them off this morning. Turns out Teddy's name is "Boomer", and Chester's is "Prissy." I think the names we gave them were better, but I guess they are not my dogs so it doesn't matter.

mondays are not off...

2008-09-29T20:29:00.008-04:00

My weekend usually falls on Sunday and Monday, and recently has included many home projects. Today I decided to keep up the pace, and continued to work on Pete's bathroom.

With a beautiful new tile job in the shower we obviously can not keep this fancy little medicine cabinet/florescent light combo.

I pulled out the medicine cabinet and found a beautiful shade of green. There was also a large stack of old razors. It appears as though the old man who spend 50+ years of his life in this house used Gillette razors, and put the old ones behind his medicine cabinet. Ha.

I patched up the resulting hole in the wall, and will be replacing it with a mirror with lighting above it. I am also planning on installing a cabinet above the toilet for a little extra storage. And like I said the other day... I need to install a vent for removing the moisture and so I did that as well. It is not wired up yet, but George is a master and will be helping me out later this week to get it all hooked up.

nashville realtors are real...

2008-09-29T12:22:00.002-04:00

When I am bored and have free time I will sometimes make websites. Recently I made a website for Larissa Lentile. She is the Realtor who sold me my house, helped Pete's parents buy a house, helped Tito buy a house, and is currently helping miss Mandy purchase her first home! She is a good lady and great Realtor... at least in my experience.

Basically she got screwed by a big design company, and I offered to help get her website up and going for her. This is what we came up with...

www.larissalentile.com

I wish I could show you her old site - it is quite scary looking, but now she has one that looks pretty decent and is functional. If you know anyone who is looking for a home in Nashville - send them her way!
Nashville Home Search

master grouter...

2008-09-28T19:43:00.007-04:00

Another step in the process of making Pete's bathroom look pretty has been completed... and I am now a master grouter. Now all I have to do with tile is seal the grout in 24 hours, and then once Pete has finished painting the last coat of TileDoc on the tub we can seal the bottom tile line with some caulk.

Next step: replace the disgusting light fixture, and paint the bathroom.

Next Next step: Re-install curtain rod, toilet, and possibly put in a vent... maybe I should put the vent in before painting. Either way... I want to be showering in Pete's bathroom in the next 7 days.

bathrooms are for tiling...

2008-09-15T21:47:00.005-04:00

I started back up on my old household project... the bathroom. Things were put on hold for a while due to uncontrollable factors, and other projects such as my bedroom and seeding the lawn took priority. But anyways, I started tiling the bathroom today, and it is looking pretty good! We are just going with the classic white tile. It looks good, is clean, and never really goes out of style. Lets hope I am as good at tiling as I am at drywalling!

Here are some photos...

san diego is...

2008-09-07T13:47:00.024-04:00

Currently I am sitting in the airport, sipping on some Starbucks, and waiting for my plane to board. San Diego rules and has free wireless internet, and so I am taking this time to upload a few photos. I have been in California since Wednesday for ASR with Read, and have walked countless miles in and around the city. Here are some photos:

1: 500 West Hotel... used to be a YMCA. Read was afraid.
2: The elevator worked... kinda.
3: If there was a fire... we were safe. Looks like a dorm room from college.

1: ASR - Action Sports Retailers... Trade Show.
2: Read loves Jamba Juice.
3: The convention center is pretty rad... and huge. So is the perfect San Diego weather.

1: Read was on the phone the majority of the trip. He loves his girl.
2: Kimbo Slice... HAHA.
3: I love starbucks... iced coffee got me through the day.

1: When we walked to the car rental place we saw this... and a lot of blood on the ground. I hope the guy is alright.
2: Beach Cruisers are amazing...
3: The beach... I wonder if she said yes.

Trip was good... got some buisness done... and now I have to board my plane. That is all.

ceiling fans move...

2008-08-22T23:54:00.007-04:00

Well, I have finished working on my room... mostly. I finished painting the walls and the ceiling, and installed a sweet ceiling fan. I also cleaned the floors and applied a topcoat that gave the floors a little shine and made them look questionably nice. I am pretty psyched! The colors in this photo are a little off, but kinda close... The walls are a "Boothbay Gray" which has some blue in it, and the ceiling is no longer a poorly painted glossy white! I am going to get some faux wood blinds for the windows, but until I make it to home depot I will have these brown curtains... don't want people watching me change!

Buddy's bed is at the end of mine... his is small.

Oh yes... I also need to hang some stuff on the walls. All in due time my friends... all in due time.

rooms are for living...

2008-08-12T11:39:00.008-04:00

So I am getting closer to being finished with my room, but some how it has taken over a week to do all the stupid little wall fixes and sanding and everything. Fixed the wall, fixed the ceiling, opened my painted shut windows, sanded everything, cleaned up an obnoxious amount of dust, and scraped some crap off my window panes. The room is primed and ready for paint, and now we just need to paint everything... ceiling, walls, windows, trim... Hopefully it will be done today. I am done sleeping in my living room...

Also, Buddy got a haircut yesterday. He is looking sharp!

Canada is...

2008-08-04T18:19:00.011-04:00

Last week I went to Canada with Miss Mandy for a bit of a vacation. I didn't take pictures for the first 4 days, and then finally did when we got to Canada's Wonderland. Here we are...

And then we got back, and on Sunday Mandy thought we should start a new project... fixing the walls in my room and painting it. No - the bathroom is not finished due to delays outside of my doing - and so instead this is the new task. Photos of the room after scraping the walls for 3 hours and some sanding...

sundays are the best days...

2008-07-14T17:23:00.004-04:00

I am somewhat tired and don't have much to say, but yesterday we bought new jeans (note the tags still on Mandy's) and Chris made us a delightful dinner. He is legit - look at his apron.

stereo... not just for sound engineers

2008-07-13T02:17:00.002-04:00

Every summer at Sixth Ave we have summer skateboard clinics. I am not in charge of camps this summer - which I do not really understand or agree with - but I do still make sure all of the kids have a good time and work it out so we have prizes and free stuff as much as possible. Last week Stereo Skateboards helped me out with a bunch of product, and below you will find a photo of some of the kids with their stuff. Thank you Stereo.

Go skateboard.

My dog is cuter then you...

2008-07-11T01:11:00.003-04:00

So I adopted a dog about a month ago... he is a black cocker spaniel mutt... and his name is Buddy... just like the dog I grew up with. I took this photo of him the first day I brought him home. He was shaved down because when they found him he had 200 ticks. I hate ticks. I am sure he hated the 200 even more. And yes... he is cuter than you.

Bathroom Lessons...

2008-07-07T13:09:00.009-04:00

So as I said in my last post I own a house now... and I decided it was time to remove the old tile and moldy drywall in one of the bathrooms. I by no means know what it is I am doing, but a little help from the old internet and some sweet DIY sites and I think I am pulling it off nicely. Here are a few photos of the progress so far.

Tile was taken off... drywall was ripped out... new mold and water resistant drywall was put in its place... holes for piping cut perfect first try... its coming along.

and so it goes...

2008-07-01T13:25:00.003-04:00

I lost the password for this blog a long while back, and so I never posted in it until somehow I happened upon my login information... and now here I am.

I don't have it in me to make a huge long post, but I now run Sixth Ave, have a beautiful girlfriend, own a house, have a dog, and am about to figure out if I can drywall and tile a bathroom.

Life is good.

Keegan Kim

2006-09-08T01:21:00.000-04:00

Keegan Kim - FS Boardslide, Crockett 10

Somehow I got this photo published in a local newspaper... Keegan won the Nashville Hometown Heros skate competition.

the biv

2006-08-10T02:35:00.000-04:00

I took this photo for my buddy mitch. The band - the Biv.
http://www.thebiv.com

Nike Ad Inspiration...

2006-01-11T02:30:00.000-05:00

So I saw this Nike skateboarding add in a magazine of P.Rod doing probably 10+ tricks at this skatepark, and all of the images were merged into one. I brought my camera to Sixth Ave today hoping to shoot Keegan, but when he took off I did this instead.

Wes, Casey, and David decided to help me out with the pictures. I took six pictures of them skating and one of them as a group. Once I dumped them to my computer I made this quickly for them to see my idea.

This is how it looked after I was finished cuting and whatnot. I made it into a desktop wallpaper for Sixth Avenue Skatepark. If you want the high res version go to http://www.sixthavenueskatepark.com and look in the "everything else" section.

Trey...

2006-01-04T15:34:00.000-05:00

We had a little bit of a photo shoot the other night at sixth ave. Any time you set up flashes to shoot anyone in the park you get 4 or 5 other kids who want photos too.

Trey got in on this shoot and pulled off a front lip on the across rail.

Alex...

2006-01-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

Alex showed up at the park today, and lucky for me I had my camera equipment with me. I am trying to shoot more BMX photos, and Alex is definitely a good man to practice on.

This is alex doing an invert out of the quarter at Sixth Ave.

Canadian Christmas...

2005-12-22T00:16:00.000-05:00

I am up north in my homeland of Canada for the Christmas season...spending some time with my parents who recently relocated back up here. I am also trying to see a few people while I am up here, but I think I seriously misjudged the amount of free time I have. I will probably only get to see a few of the people I planned on seeing.

I hung out with T.Rule today, did some Christmas shopping, and hung out with my fam for a few hours. Now I feel like I should be doing something, and so I decided to make a quick update on this thing. Let's post a picture...

I took this picture with my camera at my waist because I didn't feel like making the effort to bring the camera to my eye... The Opryland Hotel has some cool phones... that is for sure.

Jordan Smith...

2005-12-13T18:59:00.001-05:00

I took this photo today. It is Jordan Smith doing a Table over the big box.

I need to start shooting more BMX photos... I don't completely know what I am doing yet.

Time to update...

2005-12-13T01:09:00.001-05:00

I have not updated this in a while, and I don't really have anything else to do... so I am updating this. I have been in Nashville for over a month now, and I am still trying to solidify my living situation. Outside of that I have been working with Sixth Ave doing web design, photography, working in the shop, and also traveling around Tennessee doing demos. It has been a lot of fun... for sure. Hopefully this is going to be a full time job by the new year... or else I may have to search for a job that will be a little more real.

Friday night was a weird night. I am not going to get into it... but it was weird. Interesting...

So I have upgraded my camera just 2 days ago... I have purchased the 20D. Matt has agreed to buy my D60, and I got the new one from Dave Hill. I am pretty stoked about this. I have not shot any serious pictures yet, but did shoot this photo for the new sixth ave website.

Danny pulling a Japan over the spine...

12 hours south...

2005-10-28T18:28:00.000-04:00

I got in my car yesterday at 6am in Burlington, and I stopped driving at 5pm in Nashville. I have officially moved back to Nashville, TN...

It is kinda weird to be back here. Some of the same people are still around, everything seems similar, but at the same time everything is different. It is not in a bad way... just different. I stopped by Sixth Ave today and talked with Joel some. I skated the new mini, enjoyed the bowl, and got really sweaty. Overall I had a great time. So now that I go that out of the way it looks like it is time to figure out how I am going to live.

I am going to be working with Sixth Avenue quite a bit... demos, website, photography, possibly working in the shop, skate church, etc... This is not going to give me enough money to live, however, so I am going to have to find a job somewhere else aswell. I think I am going to try and be a valet. Apparently I can make some good cash doing that, and enjoy a little bit of flexability with it aswell. Hopefully that will work itself out.

But yeah, things are changing... and quick. Crazy times my friends. I am out. Later.

Nashville or Bust...

2005-10-22T01:32:00.000-04:00

I have a major decision to make, and it must be made in the very near future. I have to figure out where God is calling me to live... and I am beginning to wonder if Nashville is that place. I have spent the past week working at a skate shop and wondering whether not that is where I am feeling called. I watch the two main people in the shop and I see something I don't have...

First there is the owner. She actually has just begun to get more involved in this store and is working about 20 hours a week in the store... plus probably 20 more doing countless other things for the place. The other night I worked with her and I was very much impressed. She has the ability to talk to pretty much anyone and make them feel comfortable in that store. I honestly think that if she worked in that store full time and became the face of the store that business would increase so very much.

Second is the very passionate one. She has worked there for quite some time in a assistant manager position. She loves that store more than anyone else and would probably buy it if she has the time and the money. Her love is what makes her a perfect fit for her job. Both of these girls have something that I am not feeling in myself about the stor, and they both have a much better fashion sense then me too...HA.

All this to point out that I do not see myself enjoying the job or being the person for the job. I think these two girls need to take over and make this store a success. The thing I have loved about skateboarding revolves around Sixth Avenue Skatepark. The organization, the people, the kids, and being around all of them is what made my experience. I almost feel as though I am being called to move back and live in Nashville. I don't know to what capacity I would work with them at this point, but just being there and getting involved almost makes the move worth while.

If this happens it will be within the next 7 days. I will have to make the decision in the next few days, and then begin to react very quickly if the decision is yes. I am comforted in the fact that my parents support my decision, and were very open to the idea. That just makes things even crazier for me. This may be a crazy week!

NYC...

2005-10-19T21:42:00.000-04:00

So I am probably being a little overzealous with this whole writing in my blog thing, but I figure that all posts will slow or completely stop coming so I might as well post as often as possible at first.

Last Wednesday I got word that in about 2.5 hours I could be driving with some friends to NYC to see a Conan taping. A few phone calls later I was getting my stuff together and driving to T.O. to meet up with the boys. We drove through the night and ended up at some hotel at 4am.

I was pretty stoked to be in NYC. We spent a lot of time walking and getting around the city via subway. There are so many interesting people in the subway. I wish I had taken more pictures, but the crazy amounts of rain led to me leaving my camera in the hotel most of the time we were there.

We hit up Time Square and saw all the pretty lights. The last day we were there we came across the naked cowboy. That dude propably makes so much money just standing around in his underwear, taking pictures with tourists, and then taking their money. Dyce and Wood were then intereviewed by some random dudes and spoke with the Prophet of the 816 Hex. Entertaining times... you had to bee there to understand.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was when we went down to Battery Park. The first time we went it was raining and kinda miserable, but we did come across this random dead rat on a peice of cardboard. The next time round it was nice out and we bought fake Rolex watches from dudes wiith suitcases, looked at some fancy fake bags, and watched this street show... break dancing. Good times were had.

Overall this trip was a great success. I kinda want to go back again and shoot many many photos. Hopefully I can do that in the not too distant future. Gotta <3 NYC... I bought the t-shirt.

Oh yeah, Dyce got on Conan CLICK HERE TO SEE IT

My Father...

2005-10-19T16:00:00.000-04:00

As I grew up I moved around quite a bit. I don't think that I ever stayed in one city for more than 4 years straight. The moving was most often a result of my father receiving promotions within the company he worked/works for. A lot of people could not imagine moving as much as I have, and would have huge issues and problems if their family had done what mine did. I think what made all of our moves so smooth was the fact that we had a tight and loving family.

The head of my family is my father. He is a strong, motivated, hardworking, and loving man. I can saftely say that he has nothing but the best intentions in mind for our family, and he would do anything to protect us. Without any post-secondary education he has, and continues to, progress within business. I have no doubt that one day he will run the Canadian operations of his current company... if he so chooses. I love listening to him talk business, and tell stories of how people try to "take him on" within the company. He is a problem solver, sales master, and is probably the most reliable man to go to when you need something done... and done right. As I write this I continue to think of more things that just amaze me. My father truely is a great man.

As I grew up and began making more of my own deciisions it became obvious to me that although I am my father's son, we are very different in some ways. My father has had to work really hard to get where he is today in business, and he has huge expectations of me in business. I think he is right to have expectations, but we do not share a common view of what I need to be doing. At this point in my life I am not motivated to get into a big corporation in hopes of one day heading up some giant company. Right now my dream would be to run Sixth Ave and work with all the people that come in to skate. I want to work in an industry that intrigues me and gives me something to look forward to every morning. I think I would like to work with kids in a non-church environment where friendships can be made and lives can be changed. I can tell you now that this will not make me a lot of money.

Now, maybe in 5 years my outlook will change and I will start my accent up the corporate ladder, but at this point it does not appeal to me. I think it is hard to explain this to my father, and because of this we often get in little battles over what I want to do. In everything I do I consider my father and respect the knowlege/experience he has and offers to me... but I must make my own decisions. I hope that in time I will be able to articulate myself well enough to make him understand what I am doing/thinking. He has taght me to make good decisions, and I am now at a point where my decisions may deviate from his. I guess I am growing up...

I doubt you will ever read this dad, but know that I love you more than you could ever imagine. You have been the best father a guy could ask for... I guess I was just blessed to be raised by you and mom. As we go ahead I know that we will have disagreements, but nothing will ever change the fact that you are my father and nothing can take that away.

Insomnia...

2005-10-19T00:45:00.000-04:00

The past two evenings I have had a lot of trouble falling asleep. Last night I did not fall asleep until about 3am, and tonight I have a bad feeling that I may be following suit. A lot of things have been going through my head these past few weeks... especially the past 4 or 5 days. Working at this skateshop is leaving me with mixed emotions. I think it will be a great time and experience, but I also have this unsettling feeling in the back of my mind. I can not pin-point exactly what it is... and I have a feeling it may be a number of different things. Maybe I am just nervous about the situation surrounding everything. Who knows.

One think I do know is that I have had this overwhelming desire to move back to Nashville and work for Rocketown. My best case scenario would be to act as one of the managers of the skatepark... but I almost would do anything. I do not know exactly what has brought all these things on, but I find myself working out scenarios about how to pull it all off in my mind. Maybe that is partially why I can not fall asleep. Too many things are working like crazy in my mind, and the thought of doing it just gets me pumped.

The thought of getting back there is exciting for many reasons:
1. Working with all the Sixth Ave guys is incredible. Such good people.
2. Would be back in Nashville... all my university friends are there.
3. Would be completely independent from the parental units.
4. Rolling Hills Community Church.
5. Could ride a motor cycle so many months of the year!
6. And the list just goes on...

I think I am going to write an e-mail to see if I can get the ball rolling on this. But in the end it is as my mother always says, everything will work out "Lord Willing." I can trust in that. Night.

The First Real Post...

2005-10-18T16:18:00.000-04:00

I will consider this my first real post...

I have been in Canada since the beginning of May, and have been having a good time. I worked at Muskoka Woods for the summer, helped my buddy Paul out with some skate competitions, shot some photos, went to NYC, sat around a lot, and now am in the process of figuring out the rest of my life. As of now it looks like I am going to be working at a local skateshop for a few months. There is an opportunity to purchase the shop, but at this point I do not know that it is something that I really want to do. I guess only time will tell.

I shot this photo a few weeks ago. It is of Jeff Matheson - Krooked Grind. We went downtown Hamilton and hit up a few spots, got some footage, and shot about 6 photos. I need to get out and shoot some more photos with him in the near future. If I get any more I will have to post them up here.

What is sad is that I just got back from NYC and I only shot maybe 20 pictures while I was there. It was raining the entire time, and I just could not be bothered to pull the camera out. I need to go back and shoot crazy amounts of photos... It was a good time though. There are so many interesting people in that city. I could spend hours just sitting in the subway watching people. You wonder what is going on in their heads, where they are going, why they ignore everyone around them, and countless other things. If you have not gone then I would suggest you do so.

Speaking of other citys... last night as I was lying in my bed I had the erge to move back to Nashville, TN. There is only 1 or 2 scenarios that would bring me back there, but I got excited about the idea. I don't know that this will ever happen, but if things work out in real life like they did in my head then I could end up there. I miss the guys at Sixth Ave, and really want to be able to work with those kids again. They are such an incredible group of people. Maybe that will happen... we will see.

I am going to end this now... and if anyone actually does find this and read it then comment. Just say something... like "I read this."

Testing...

2005-10-18T11:42:00.000-04:00

So I have a few friends who are blogging these days, and I figured that I might as well join the trend. I have done the whole livejournal thing, but that has gotten old. This may get old. Who knows. No one may ever actually read this thing, but that may make it even more fun for me. That is all for now... this is just to test the thing out.