TIMED EXPOSURE

LIFE:FISHING

2022-08-09T23:29:00.013-07:00

AJ Omstead Jr "Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

LIFE::QUOTE/EXAGGERATION

2022-08-05T10:38:00.001-07:00

There are people so addicted to exaggeration that they actually can't tell the truth without lying. - Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818–1885), quoted in H. Montague, Wit and Wisdom of Josh Billings, 1913

AJ Omstead Jr "Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

LIFE::QUOTE/PAST

2022-08-05T08:41:00.004-07:00

The Past's a Book wherein some Truths are found, But not a Chain by which Men's Feet are bound.-Arthur Guiterman, "Of Progress," A Poet's Proverbs, 1924

AJ Omstead Jr "Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

LIFE::BEEN THINKIN

2022-08-05T08:32:00.002-07:00

That I should probably start posting to this blog again. A compilation of my random thoughts and processes you could say. I thank you and please stay tuned as I start to publish at a minimum of 2x a week.

AJ Omstead Jr

"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

SKATE::MEGASUPEREXTREMEGETYOURSWAGON

2022-08-05T08:32:00.001-07:00

Ever wonder what the fuck happened to skateboarding? I do on a daily basis. I find myself wondering how what was once considered a “silly fad” has become more blown out than Jenna Jameson after 5 days on set. It may sound harsh but its the reality of what was once a collective of bored surfers who decided they would chop up a pair of roller skates, nail it to a 2 x 4 and surf suburbia.

When I think of skateboarding in the 60’s, I think of a few homies cruising the streets hitting rocks and slamming on their faces all while laughing about it. If it weren’t for boredom and curiosity we wouldn’t have this piece of 7 ply maple, 8 bolts, 2 trucks, 4 wheels and 8 bearings that we call a skateboard. Which has brought me to where we are right now at 1:51 am on May the 26th.

The way I see it is that the majority of people have forgotten where they’ve come from and how they got where they are. Example the “Core Skate Shop” I find it odd when a new shop opens and claims to be “Core” what are you the “Core” of? To be a “Core Skate Shop” its a title that you earn not that is coined and fabricated before you have a board on the wall. Example numero dos, the big corporations that have decided skateboarding is the hottest thing since Bo Derek. My favorite is the over advertising and logo-ing, like Monster, where were you when skateboarding fell on its face in the 80’s? Oh you weren’t even around thats right, I see the letter M more than the letters that make up my name, thats kinda sad. Don’t get me wrong 0.01% of me is stoked that skateboarders are making 6 - 7 figure incomes the other 99.99% just wishes skateboarding would become hated overnight so it can return to what it really is, the brotherhood that it was born to be.

I was more or less born into skateboarding. My dads been on a board since 76, I came into the picture in 83 and ever since I can remember there was a skateboard in eyesight. Not always a setup but something that related to skateboarding, whether it were an old tore up pair of shoes or a helmet with stickers from an era forgotten. Just one 5 minute conversation with my dad about how shit was back then is amazing. There was no mega super extreme get your swag on bullshit, branding, complex marketing schemes, transparent gimmicks, kooks on scooters, mega corporations throwing money around like confetti and contracts dictating how you should look. There was and always will be more to it than the general public can process. You ever hear the saying “Dumb it down to the lowest common denominator” I have more than a few times, this doesn’t apply to skateboarding, it is what it is and no matter how hard you try you’ll never break it down.

Fast forward to 9/6/1993 these six numbers hold a place in my life that marks the day I got my first complete, it was a Chapter 7 ever slick with 49 mm Jahmal Williams wheels and Grind King trucks. If you just started skateboarding now would be a good time to start googling shit. Your probably going wtf theres a 10 year gap in the middle of this retrospective, reason being I didn’t skate yet. That summer of 93 was the year that defined what the rest of my life would become, one giant skate trip.

Skateboarding in the 90’s was interesting, it was still transitioning from the big boards and wheels of the 80’s to the toothpick and bearing condom era, the tricks that were once done on vert ramps were now taken to the streets. This was the era of progression, I remember skating with the homies in Jan Ree every chance we got. The crew was Myself, Jeff Sharp, Daniel Sharp, Scott Burgess, Jeff McCasky, Kimo, Justin Gates, Brian Summers, Jared Swift and whoever else happened to have a skateboard, needless to say we were what made up the outcasts of Jan Ree. It wasn’t so serious back then all we did was skate curbs, eat shit trying to ollie up shit, roll off loading docks and hit rocks and slam like the early few that braved the board. We had no idea of what being a skateboarder consisted of, WE JUST SKATED, we created that feeling of this thing called fun, there were no cameras, freakouts, reality show deals, T.O.G’s or anything you can do I can do better attitudes, it was fucking fun as hell. As we got older friendships dissipated and everyone went their own way, this was around 99 - 00, some still skate, some are married with children and 9 - 5 comfort of the American dream, some are successful business owners, a few are no longer with us RIP Erick Sannes, Jason Orpilla and Alex “Stubbs” Blanco. I value all my friendships past, present and future, without the people that have come into my life at one point or another I wouldn’t be the 27 yr old “kid” that I am today. I’d like to thank everyone who’s path I’ve crossed and who put that hand out when it felt like there was no way to my feet.

The one question I ask myself daily is,“How did I get here, Who pushed me along the way and lent a hand when I fell, Who will I lend a hand to so they can dust themselves off and get to where they are going?” I didn’t write this to preach about my philosophy of life. I write this to inspire not only myself but those who read it to never give up on what your passionate about no matter how fucked it may seem. For every culture there is a subterranean escape from what is being force fed to the masses, life underground has a way of preserving the aspects of what we love from the starving machine of Corporate America.

AJ Omstead Jr

"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

LIFE::MY FATHER

2022-08-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

If it wasn't for my dad I definitely wouldn't be who I am today. I was fortunate enough to be raised by a man who'd been through a lot of shit to be where he is now. The one thing I love my dad the most for aside from caring for his family and making sacrifices so we had what we did, is that he showed me skateboarding and what it really is about. He engraved the etiquette from the 70's and 80's in to my brain, always reminded me its about having fun, not a popularity contest. Nobody gives a shit about what you got, or who you know. Remember these 3 simple things: SKATE.SMILE.ENJOY.

AJ Omstead Jr

"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

SKATE::WHAT IT IS

2022-08-05T08:31:00.001-07:00

Its not a fashion statement, its not about being cool, its not just for kids, its not a fad, its not glorious, its not a chick magnet, its not a popularity contest, its not about being the best, its not something you should expect a lot from, its not about money, its not the easiest thing in the world, its not for the easily discouraged and its definitely not for everyone.

Its skateboarding. I’ve been on a board for 18 yrs and have seen many of its faces. From a real, legit, in it for blood skater its none of things above people try to mask it with. Skateboarding isn’t for everyone, its for the ones who wanna do something out of the ordinary realm of whats accepted in society.

The majority of the world doesn’t understand us and probably never will, i like it this way. I love it when people ask “Isnt that for kids?” my reply is, “Now, think back to when you were younger you waited so long to drive, now you drive everyday, to work, to the store, and you hate your car cause you spend so much time in it, skateboarding is the opposite, the more time your on it the less shit you worry about and the more fun you have.”

Skateboarding is a brotherhood, there is a unrivaled bond between us. Just think about how many people from all corners of this fucked up planet we live on are bound by one thing, a piece of wood with wheels on it. In my 18 yrs of skating Ive met some of the best people this world has to offer. I think its safe to say that 90% of the people I associate with ive met through skateboarding. This is the brotherhood i speak of, within skateboarding you’ll meet the real people, the mother fuckers that just get it, that understand you and wont judge you like 75% of the fake ass lemmings in the world.

The friends I have im grateful for, the homies that put me up on their couch when I had no where else to go thanks Robert Parrish, the dudes that drove hrs to skate a pool only to get bucked first run and have to split, the ones that laugh when you slam and are bleeding out of your dome, the homie Jason Miranda for teaching me rock and rolls the right way, all my friends that have supported me in my crazy ideas, the homies at Exit in Salem for the hook ups over the years, my homie Philly for hitch hiking to LA with me in Aug of 09 and skating 18 miles to meet up with another buddy, the list goes on and on.

We are a collective of outcasts that no one wanted, which is fine by me. I guess my point is that its about not giving a fuck and having fun with your friends. It allows you to let loose and not worry what the rest of the world thinks of you, most people will never understand what it is. Thats the best fucking part, cause as long as were here we’ll be hated, looked down upon, misunderstood and laughed at, so next time someone gives you shit for skateboarding laugh at them and remind them that they will never get it, and they should probably give up trying. In the words of Duane Peters "If you dont skate you cant relate."

AJ Omstead Jr

"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

LIFE::THIS

2022-08-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

Is my blog. Not really sure what direction it will go but enjoy the ride.

AJ Omstead Jr

"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

LIFE::QUOTE/ADVERSITY #9

2022-08-05T08:30:00.002-07:00

"The healthy and strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it. Whether he's got an abscess on his knee or in his soul." - Rona Barrett

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

LIFE::QUOTE/CHANGE #10

2022-08-05T08:30:00.001-07:00

The man who looks for security, even in the mind, is like a man who would chop off his limbs in order to have artificial ones which will give him no pain or trouble. - Henry Miller

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

LIFE::2014

2022-08-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

1 - Life is like a blanket too short. You pull it up and your toes rebel, you yank it down and shivers meander about your shoulder; but cheerful folks manage to draw their knees up and pass a very comfortable night. - Marion Howard

2 - All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself. - Ralph Ellison

3 - Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. - World Health Organization, 1948

4 - Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. - Thomas à Kempis, Imitation of Christ, c.1420

5 - He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. - Thomas Paine

6 - One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it. - Sidney Howard

7 -

8 - Read this book

AJ Omstead Jr

"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

QUOTE::

2022-08-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Insert quote

LIFE::2022

2022-08-05T08:20:00.008-07:00

With the year nearing its end I figured I should probably post something relevant. As some of you know the last 442 days have been full of ups and downs from spending time at the DCAJ to entering a new relationship in September of last year to job changes to burying friends, life has been nothing short of entertaining. With lots of time to think amd prepare myself I have cone tontge conclusion that all these things happened for a reason and though some things dont make sense now eventually we figure out why. Take care of one and other out there.

AJ Omstead Jr "Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

LIFE::SEVEN YEARS

2021-07-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

I just realized I have not posted any new content here in 7 fucking years!!! As most of you know alot has changed and I plan on posting more frequently. The goal is 1-3 times a week. AJ Omstead Jr "Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Life::QUOTE/ATTITUDE #8

2013-12-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same." - Francesca Reigler

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Lyrics::THE NEIGHBOURHOOD/FLAWLESS

2013-11-22T09:33:00.002-08:00

[Verse 1:]
She planned ahead for a year, he said, "Let's play it by ear."
She didn't want him to run, he didn't want her to fear
Nobody said it'd be easy, they knew it was rough
But, tough luck

[Bridge:]
I fell in love today,
There aren't any words that you can say
That could ever get my mind to change
She's enough for me, she's in love with me

[Hook:]
You're a doll, you are flawless
But I just can't wait for love to destroy us
I just can't wait for love
The only flaw – you are flawless
But I just can't wait for love to destroy us
I just can't wait for love

[Verse 2:]
So, she put his heart in a bag, he wouldn't ask for it back
He didn't want her to cry, she didn't want to be sad
She said, "You better not leave me."
This shit'll be fucked for days and weeks and months, but...

[Bridge]

[Hook]

[Verse 3:]
Add it all up, I can find it
The problem with love is I'm blinded by
It rattles my lungs, but my mind is
Tangled between your little flaws
Your flaws, your flaws, your flaws

[Hook]
Wait for love, I won't wait for love
Wait for love, I won't wait for love
Wait for love

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Life::QUOTE/AGE #7

2013-11-18T16:28:00.001-08:00

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. - Samuel Ullman

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Lyrics::MOTORHEAD/ACE OF SPADES

2013-10-17T20:19:00.001-07:00

If you like to gamble, I tell you I'm your man,
You win some, lose some, all the same to me,
The pleasure is to play, makes no difference what you say,
I don't share your greed, the only card I need is
The Ace Of Spades

Playing for the high one, dancing with the devil,
Going with the flow, it's all the game to me,
Seven or Eleven, snake eyes watching you,
Double up or quit, double stake or split,
The Ace Of Spades

You know I'm born to lose, and gambling's for fools,
But that's the way I like it baby,
I don't wanna live for ever,
And don't forget the joker!

Pushing up the ante, I know you wanna see me,
Read 'em and weep, the dead man's hand again,
I see it in your eyes, take one look and die,
The only thing you see, you know it's gonna be,
The Ace Of Spades

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Lyrics::BEN HOWARD/EVERYTHING

2013-10-17T20:12:00.001-07:00

And the birds still sing outside these

These windows
Where we sat together
Like nothing ever happened here oh
The white house on the hill
And black clouds the weather
And the church spire, over the river
She still sits there
Warm, in the evening glow
But you don't care about
These scenes I treasure
Of these west winds
I know, I know
Seems everything around here
Stays like stone
Seems it's about time darling
About time we let this all go

Cause everything will start again anew
Cause everything just goes away my friend
And every king knows it to be true
That every kingdom must one day come to an end

And the sun, she may be long gone
Lost to these memories we've found
But she'll be here
When it's all done
When our bodies are lain beneath the ground
Seems everything that goes around
Comes, comes around here
Seems everything that stays here somehow
Gets me down again

Everything will start again anew
Cause everything just goes away my friend
And every king knows it to be true
That every kingdom must one day come to an end

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Life::CHANGES

2013-10-14T22:33:00.003-07:00

Life comes at us in funny ways. After a series of events my life has somewhat been in repair and recovery mode, one of those oh shit get with it periods. Which brings me here at 10:12pm on Oct. 14 laying my feelings out once again in blog format. The difference now than what it once was is I have been presented a human who is constantly opening my eyes to things I have never noticed.

I am seeing life in a whole new light and in an unexpected manner and unorthodox style I never thought possible. I now realize that its not always the big things we sweat so hard rather than paying attention to the small things that expose themselves to make the picture of life we are composing.

What I'm getting at is life is a rather enjoyable thing as long as we expose it properly and adjust when the light changes, which is best understood if you understand photography. The way I see it is that we are all photographers with subjects and scenes to shoot all around us, but if we don't pay attention to the entire photograph we will always being missing a part of our lives composition. When all is said and done what we leave behind is a contact sheet of our individual experiences and events, so make yours count.

"Often while traveling with a camera we arrive just as the sun slips over the horizon of a moment, too late to expose film, only time enough to expose our hearts." - Minor White

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Lyrics::BEN HOWARD/BURGH ISLAND

2013-10-08T18:35:00.002-07:00

With brown eyes shining, shoreline on a way to go,
And the sun tries you're feeling home, I guess you're broke

And we lost sight of it, and breath tied up in summer's hold,
Your eyes screamed it, Burgh Island, in sepia tones.

And if I was ever to leave, I'll say before I go
That you're the best woman I ever known.

With brown eyes shining, shoreline on a way to go,
And the sun tries you so long,
And we lost sight of it, and breath tied up in summer's hold,
And we'll break for it, on Burgh Island in sepia tones.

And if ever to leave, I'll say before I go
That you're the best woman I ever known.

Oh, I bite my tongue, that you may be the first to run.
'Cause I heard a song, that man is a fickle child,
The one blowing.

Oh, I bite my tongue, that you may be the first to run.
'Cause I heard a song, that man is a fickle child,
The one blowing.

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Life::QUOTE/RELATIONSHIPS/#6

2013-10-01T14:50:00.001-07:00

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. - Author Unknown

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Lyrics::BEN HOWARD/TO BE ALONE

2013-09-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

I don’t need no body, Oh I, I don’t need no body,
Oh I don’t need no body to be alone, to be alone.

And in the darkness a shallow poison it has grown,
I bite my tongue there’s a fever I will not let it show.

I don’t need no body, Oh I, I don’t need no body,
Oh I don’t need no body to be alone, to be alone.

And in the darkness a shallow poison it has grown,
I bite my tongue there’s a fever I will not let it show.

And in the darkness a shallow poison it has grown,
I bite my tongue there’s a fever I will not let it show.

I don’t need no body, Oh I, I don’t need no body,
Oh I don’t need no body to be alone, to be alone
To be alone...

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Lyrics::BEN E. KING/STAND BY ME

2013-09-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid
Oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

So darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand, stand by me
Stand by me

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
All the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me
Stand by me

So darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
Oh stand by me, oh won't you stand now, stand
Stand by me
Stand by me

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"

Snow::HIKING IN THE WOODS

2013-09-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Ready to be hiking in the mountains, Are you???

AJ Omstead Jr
"Continue in forward motion and we shall meet"