10.31.2009

Zombie Parkour Nite

in the beginning, we decided to participate in the Phoenix Zombie Walk

but due to being 2 hours late, and going to the wrong park...it evolved into Zombie Parkour Nite (and in between it was Zombie-Pound-Cheap-Beers-in-the-Library-Parking-Lot).

not much explanation to give, other than the fact that we were stuck with a 6 year old digital camera (that was a shitty camera even 6 years ago), so not much for action pics...but you get the idea.











10.30.2009

This is what we need to build on some dead Bushwick block



i'm serious.

Brakes


My Tonic Fallguy needs brakes. Vees. Being that its primarily my trails rig and me being not good enough to ride trails brakeless, I don't have a choice, even if I do enjoy a bit of brakeless street.
So, do I replace my busted SD5 with SD7 or move up in the world? Suggestions?

10.29.2009

See Ya'll In Michigan



See ya at the Pistons game, Back in a few days...

Odd Happy Shumway



This is all I can really think about today.

Anything more would be too taxing.

Besides, what more would you need?

AIBLPM Oct 29-09 and my Commute

A friend from NYCMTB forums recommended I get this free little app called MotionX. Its a very basic GPS tracking program that ONLY works when you're under the open sky - and shuts off immediately if you step indoors - but who does that anyway? So this morning I tracked my commute to work from one of my many apartments around the city. The journey, just like I already knew, was a tad bit over 3.5 miles, my average speed was about 12mph and I really have no idea at which point I hit a max speed of 39mph, perhaps I blacked out from the G forces.
But the point is other. Technology has come quite a long way when a free tiny little program and a digital cellular telephone can give you info like this. I'm impressed. Didn't one have to pay like 400$ for a service like this only years ago, and all sorts of wires and antennas were involved? Maybe not.

On a darker note, AIBLPM index this morning was at a 1.38 which is not as bad as it gets, but unfortunately doesn't strees the extremes of the situation. WHY do cars feel the need to pass through the bike lane? Why must limo cabs double park there? Why do parents dropping off kids at school MUST do it in the only stretch of concrete network of this town bikers can call their own? Why do hasidic school bus drivers feel the need to block ALL of Bedford Ave diagonally, including a bike lane - do they not know its illegal, can they not pull over to the side? Ah.

Few days back I snapped a pic of a fuckin pack of cops, like 6-7 cruisers, parked in the bikelane, chillin. And then a block later a van full of pigs, I mean po-po, sorry, doing the same exact thing in the same lane. Those pics are a whole another write up I'll save for another day.

10.28.2009

Congratulations, Latin Kings!


A hearty round of applause from the whole gang (pardon the pun) here at C2D goes out to the quintessential street thug community known as the Latin Kings. This weekend, about a half a dozen of your finest, most diligent pledges were successful in completing the required training certification necessary to join your organization by stomping on the faces of two young women on their way home from dinner Saturday night in the LES. Particular care was paid to concentrate solely to applying vigorous kicks to the heads and faces of these two, after blindsiding them from behind and knocking them to the ground. The final tally resulted in 2 knockouts, 30-someodd stitches between the two, two broken noses, and a cracked tooth. Excellent, excellent work.

We all agree here at C2d that a one-sided beating handed out to 2 young women is the optimal training method for becoming a part of the team for an organization such as yours, so later, when faced by a rival adversarial group, whose own members are well-versed in the arts of fisticuffs, knives, bats, chains, guns and bricks, rest assured that your latest recruits will be well armed with the knowledge and tools of how to fight someone who A. isn't looking B. is a girl and 3. weighs about 90 pounds.

Flu Season Poll Results


No big surprise here. Our viewers are mack daddies and mack mammas. it just sucks that ya'll gotta cut back on that french kissing of strangers. 47% of ya'll are gonna take that loss. thats too bad, cuz french kissing strangers, especially ones without herpes and lip fungus, is AWESOME! obviously we do not condone kissing of swine, bird, green monkeys, or other animals that has human transferable diseases. did you see that movie Outbreak, i think that was the one with the monkey. when is the monkey flu gonna hit? or the lizard flu? that one would probably have the best graphics for marketing. maybe cow flu? remember when that cop was caught having sex with that cow? this was a few weeks ago, pennsylvania or something. seems like the interspecies sex news articles are on the rise. just wait til cow-aids or horse-aids comes around. the society backlash will be amazingly entertaining.

um, so yea, the majority of ya'll think this flu season is overhyped, and thats cool, cause when your dead i'll come through to loot your house in APril and french kiss your dead girlfriends. i just hope i dont get the zombie flu, but maybe that is the key to the vaccine???

Its all hype - nothing different (57%)
less beer, more liquor (21%)
Vaccine (10%)
Pills, pills, pills (21%)
Wheatgrass and carrot juice (15%)
Emergencee and vitamins (21%)
Stockpiling food and water (10%)
Stockpiling food, water, guns, ammo (21%)
Doors and windows are sealed, see you in April (5%)
Less French kissing of strangers (47%)


Create2Destroy presents Cunningham Park Vid!

C2D productions proudly presents the Cunningham Park Video - introducing you to the Create2Destroy team riders Tim, Charlie, Anson, Dave and James. Each team rider received an I.O.U. note, eventually redeemable for a C2D sticker of their choice and a high five.

Create2Destroy Cunny Bike Vid 1 from vassili123 on Vimeo.

10.27.2009

10.26.2009

No fear? Take your chances? Why not?

This Saturday, instead of the usual riding endeavors, I headed out to L.I. to visit a friend in the hospital who had been in a very serious car wreck back in July. You can see from the photo above he had a nice, burly customized rig. He has no recollection of what happened, but it appears that he fell asleep at the wheel on his way to work, lost control, and did a combination of rolling and end over end flipping resulting in the carnage you see pictured below. What I would expect to be a life ending accident for most, my big buddy managed to survive. He is in the process of rehabilitating from three fractured cervical vertebrae which have been fused, and what was initially diagnosed as quadriplegia. He is doing well, and is recovering at an impressive rate.

Having broken my own neck twice, but fortunately never this severely, this brings to the front of my mind the risks that we take, and the chances of those risks taking us out.
-
In 1990, while racing late at night, a missed turn at 100+mph and I woke up at the hospital stitcched up and braced. The car crushed into itself badly and folded my head over my back, cracking vertebrae, crushing discs, and tearing my neck muscles (I can show you, you may cringe...).
-
Again in 2006, while helmet-less 'just going for a spin' on my hardtail, I decided to hit a favorite line at speed through Ft. Tryon park, and did a lil' step down into a tranny filled with a lovely ~20" diameter log, which I cased to a front flip and then skidded across the dirt and asphalt mostly on my forehead, finishing off with a neck powered vault, re-breaking the same vertebrae I had done in back in 1990.
-
This might seem to many a good indicator to take it easy or give it up, but on the contrary, it made me realize that chance plays such a prominent role in the things we do and pushed me to take MORE risks. Whether launching our bikes over enormous jumps, riding them off of cliffs, or just standing around on the sidewalk, things beyond our control can make those seemingly different situations equally dangerous. You can do the sketchiest downhill run without issue, or stomp some DJ's with authority and come out fine, then head home and slip in the tub and shatter your elbow. Stories abound, and I don't doubt that most people can recall one or more that have happened to, or around, them.
-
How does this matter to you and me? It does, or doesn't, make us think about what we do and can change our approach. Are you scared to try something new? Hit a jump? Ride a skinny? Try a Double Diamond trail? I am using biking as an example, but the factors apply in any scenario.
-
Despite my severe, and repeated, injury, I continue to ride at a pretty advanced level and take risks. However I *DO* over-think many of my challenges and often take quite some time and encouragement to build up to them. Why is that? Surprisingly, breaking my neck didn't slow me down, but rather helped push me in that knowing I could be taken out at any moment drove me to seize the day. Now on the other hand, I had a different kind of accident in 2004 that DID put the demon of second guessing and over-consideration in my mind: Traumatic herniation of L1/S2 disc kept me off snowboards and bikes, and I was unable to sit down for ~5 months of hell. Getting on a bike at all was an exercise in abject fear of re-injury. Snowboarding has been all but shelved. Death? OK! Pain? not so much.
-
So I ask you, how are you affected by fear? Why do you hold yourself back? Or, for those fearless cats amongst us, why DON'T you hold yourself back? I tend towards visualizing failure and wrong outcomes in some circumstances and absolutely need to be coaxed/coached through many of my obstacles (and over, and off them!).


How about you?


Harmonic 313 Can Do No Wrong


On some other, other, other.....

Bring on the epilepsy!

Introducing, the Ghost Faced Banzai (My peoples where you at...)


New to the scene, crispy and clean, full of cliche for the replay, it's TeH BANZAi!

Yes, fresh and freaky on the C2D scene for your information, amusement, and to be the object of your greatest derision - Modnar L. Banzai has arrived.

Stay tuned for rants, raves, and the occasional thoughtful post. I will also be riding street tonight in Washington Heights where all my fans and followers can join for a jib or just an autograph and some beers.

And remember:
Take care, brush your hair!

ride october

If you haven't ventured out on a bike yet this month, you better do it soon.
the boondocks are looking good this fall. A large pump playground and dialed jump trails, plus some epic fall colors, makes dealing with LI traffic worthwhile.
I will return very soon.
























Cunningham Trails Teaser

Create2Destroy bike team was out in Cunningham Trails yesterday - enjoying the way too nice weather. 3 Tonics means 3 times the fun. Check out the sweet little flow as Tim and Charlie catch air and rail berms - full length mini clip video is on its way SOON.

Cunningham Park October 09 C2D from vassili123 on Vimeo.



Cunningham Park Create2Destroy from vassili123 on Vimeo.

AIBLPM and Late October 2009 aka Happy Monday!

A picture from my morning commute, right as I'm about to pull in for the day. Lovely.

AIBLMP today was a measly yet not so mild 0.833, which was not even enough to write home about, but was most definitely enough to notify the blogster community - a task I just completed. Stay safe out there on the roads, and don't let AIBLs bother you too much. Happy Monday!

10.23.2009

Best Campsite Ever



so, other than some wickid juggalo overtones (see below), i just returned from a wonderful visit to the Granite Mountain Wilderness in Prescott, AZ.
now, don't let that "wilderness" part mislead you...this was straight up Civilized aka "Car-Camping," which i generally look down on, but i make an exception for this site.



all the pics here are taken from within the campsite. the first nite i was there, there were NO OTHER CAMPERS other than the campsite host, at the extreme opposite of the campgrounds. the second nite someone was in the next site over, but i still had about 75 yards of personal space, plus the beautiful rocky environs of my paid site. for a casual boulderer like myself, a site like this is heaven. also, the drunker i get throughout the night, the harder it is to navigate the labryinthine corridors of this beautiful rockpile next to the tent.







also, the best camping buddies ever


it was cold-as-fuck (aka 36 overnight low both nights) but some extra Goodwill blankets and some fine IPAs made the 2nd nite much more tolerable. highly recommended....come visit me and i'll subject you to such horrors free of charge* (*Free being equal to you paying for the campsite and buying all beer...)

Haunted by Juggalos...



come on now...you've gotta be fucking with me....

this was on the toilet paper dispenser on a fucking Composting Toilet in the Granite Mountain Wilderness in Prescott, AZ!

what poor misguided parent dragged their lil' Johnny 2Dope out into nature to set them straight? silly parents...don't you know that getting a fledgeling Juggalo around hatchets and machetes will only put them over the edge?!? can you imagine this fucking kid camping???

it seems to be genuine though...it has the correct "Wickid Clownz" spelling, not to be confused with the "Wicked Clowns" known for their post-circus orgies & debauchery. old-school hobo versus new-skool juggalos!
i'm not sure if the peace sign is from an earlier tag or from this same poor conflicted wickid soul...

here is a cool tag i found in another restroom later while buying beer....i guess i'm a sucker for sexy ladies depicted in Sharpie....

I want a commuter bike

this is the kind of bicycle i would like for a commuter. seems like it can go fast AND be hopped around a bit. set it up singlespeed so i can coast and relax. nice slack fork for some barspins. mmmmm.

10.22.2009

Turrbotax Media

Some pics and vids from the latest Turrbotax event that took place Oct 1st.





10.21.2009

I Can't Help But Think There Are Some Sexual Undertones In This Vid

But I will see all of these activities in a new light from here on out

Pandora is trying to reignite West vs East beef

So I been giving Iphone blowjobs for past few weeks, loving it. Getting my technique down and all that, even thinking about graduating to intercourse. Anywhos, there is this little app called Pandora, its free. I'm sure everyone knows what Pandora is all about by this point, but in a few words its Internet Radio that has "algorithms" that analyze the song you picked and find you songs like it to listen to. In its early days it was a bit weak and kept recycling tracks - or perhaps all MF Doom tracks sounds the same and it was giving me a favor? Regardless, I gave up on Pandora, but last night I was getting frisky with my telephone and I made that download.

Well, naturally, first thing I searched for was J Dilla, which actually gave me a good selection of tracks. I liked that. I wanted more. Next I found some sweet Russian HipHop stations, which were also quite a treat, I was starting to literally be impressed. "They fixed this shit up" I thought.

But, like my boy Mr. Wolf said "Lets not start sucking eachothers dicks quite yet" (a Pulp Fiction reference, unrelated to not an iphone , btw).

I search for my homie Tupac. Afterall, it was he who teamed up with Onyx and Ninja Turtles to teach me English language as I know it.
Boom.First song? Hit em up..... WHAT?? I'm loving that. That happens to be one of my favorite tracks. Second song? Changes. Hmmm, ok ok, they are taking it easy on the fans, with some softer stuff. But then, all of a sudden, I hear "Its bone and biggie biggie, its bone and biggie biggie" - no they didn't. Pandora, how in the hell did you get Bone Thugs and Biggie mixed into a 2pac Radio Station? Is this some sort of a vicious plan to reignite East vs Westcoast violence in hiphop? I finally feel safe walking around the streets of Bedstuy and you pull this?

What do yall think?

Discuss.

Denver Art Museum Time Laps: Dasha



Watch Dasha Shishkin do an installation at this brand spanking new Denver Art Museum. Pretty wild architecture, no? How does she run around that fast and who keeps playing with the lights? good stuff!


10.20.2009

The Most Entertaining Entertainment


The numbers don't lie (usually). There are nearly 7 billion people in the world, we surveyed 28 - which is pretty close to half of one millionth of a percent. Hard work, but someone had to do it.

What did we gather you ask? Something we already knew - riding bikes is BY FAR the MOST entertaining thing to do on a weekend.
Thanks Captain, you say. But wait, there is more! Chilling and relaxing was a close second, followed by video games and hobby time. What does this all mean? Its pretty straight forward, really. If you want to have yourself some fun this coming weekend - hop on the bike then play some videogames. Dont bother with sexytime - most people would rather grill some food or watch a movie. But is it a coincidence that sexy time and road trip both got 6 votes? Does this imply that people are getting road head or get it on at a hotel? Pulling over and getting freaky in the back seat? Or are we talking pocket pool here? Punching the dolphin? Slapping the clown?

Look, our job here at C2D is to bring you the facts, to give you the tools. We cut up the wings for you, diss the little retarded part, but YOU'll be the one heating up the oil, deep frying the fuckers, meanwhile getting some butter/Franks/vinegar going, mixing the whole thing up, then eating it. If we're the Nobel Prize, you'll have to be Obama. We'll put the food in your mouth, but we ain't chewing it for you - that's disgusting.

ride bikes 21 (75%)
house party 4 (14%)
grill some food 7 (25%)
clubs and bars 3 (10%)
watch some movies 8 (28%)
videogame time 9 (32%)
work some more 4 (14%)
family time3 (10%)
sexy time 6 (21%)
road trip 6 (21%)
sleep 4 (14%)
chill and relax 10 (35%)
do nothing 5 (17%)
hobby time 9 (32%)