mdpart2

Time

2012-01-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

Who has time to blog anymore? Not this guy. If you want to follow my travels around the southwest you should pop on over to my twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/#!/mdpart2

Less thought, but probably more content.

I might get around to updating my blog when I stop moving around so much. Which will probably be never...

Godspeed You Black Emperor - Sleep

2011-09-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

The latest song that is stuck in my head...

Jed Mildon : World First Triple Backflip Story

2011-06-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Jed Mildon: World First Triple Backflip Story from Unit Clothing on Vimeo.

Zero

2011-05-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not really one for conspiracy theories, BUT, the movie Zero does bring up some interesting ideas surrounding the investigation of the 9/11 attacks.

Langster

2011-03-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I got some brake work done on the van at my buddy's shop in Long Beach. It was almost midnight by the time we got done so I just decided to spend the night there in the industrial part of town. Yes, I live in a van and it's not always parked down by the river... Anyway, I woke up the next morning around 6:30 to the van moving side to side a little bit. I pulled the back curtain down a little, only to see a young man cutting the cable lock on my bike and trying to take it off the rack. I yelled and punched the window, he looked up and then ran to the get-away car that was just down the street. SO, anyway, I still have my bike and I now have a cable lock that is about the thickness of my arm. Let's see you cut through that kid.

Little Creek Mesa

2011-03-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

My buddy Ryan is passed out in his clothes in front of the TV in the other room. We just got back to our place in St George after riding Little Creek Mesa on our bikes today. If you're thinking about checking out this trail I would definitely recommend taking a GPS or someone who is super familiar with the ride.

To make a long story short, we got lost. It was supposed to be a 2 hour ride but it turned into 6. It was snowing, we got all turned around and ended up wandering for about 3 hours. ANYWAY, after we rode every trail in the entire area, we finally made it back to the car. I don't think that I'll ever go back out there again. Just sayin.

Boring

2011-03-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

I know this blog has become boring. BUT, I will have new photos soon. Probably. Until then, take a quick snooze...

Dastrup Auto

2011-02-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

Mystery

2011-01-09T21:55:00.001-08:00

A Mystery: Why Can't We Walk Straight? from NPR on Vimeo.

Los Angeles

2010-12-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles in the second most populated city in the United States. And, it looks like I'll be moving here very soon. Crazy.

I Drive A Lot...

2010-12-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

View Larger Map

Danny MacAskill

2010-11-19T10:57:00.001-08:00

More, From The Road

2010-10-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

From The Road

2010-09-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

So, I've been working in California for the past couple of weeks. Just hittin' all the spots and making sure that people are psyched on Black Diamond. AND, so far, so good! Lot's of driving (2,000 miles and counting.) It's rad to hang with old friends and make some new ones along the way. It definitely keeps me psyched. Anyway, I've been trying to take more photos than I usually do. Some of the places include: Ventura, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, Pine Mountain, San Luis Obispo, Newport Beach and a few others...

Ken Block

2010-09-15T21:30:00.001-07:00

As It Happens

2010-09-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

As It Happens from renan ozturk on Vimeo.

It's Time

2010-09-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

Time to hit the road. It always happens around the fall. I get stir crazy. There's lots to do. There's lots to see. SO, I'm packin' up the van and I'm going south.

I'm lookin' forward to climbing at Red Rocks, Joshua Tree, Owens River Gorge, Black Mountain, and everywhere else in between. I can't WAIT to see Billie Jan in Ventura and Erica in Newport, I always enjoy hangin' with those two. I'm wondering about those midnight rides in LA, I should probably check that out... Waking up at the beach and making coffee just outside the rig never sucks. Driving up the eastside of the Sierras is always amazing! I'm hitting the hot springs. I'm taking photos. You can't stop me...

AND, there is a lot of work to be done too. Come see me at these events:

Joshua Tree Experience
Climb Smart

Oh yeah, I need some books! I want to be like the bookmobile, but only with like 10 books. If you have something that I HAVE to read then let me know. I can give you cookies in exchange. (My mom always leaves me well stocked.)

That's all I've got, for now. I'll be gone till November.

People

2010-09-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

I need people in my life. People that make me want to be better. People who force me to push harder. People who aren't afraid to call me out on my bullshit. People who can silence my self-doubt. People who think I'm better than I really am. People who challenge me.

Thanks Ian, for helping me find what I thought I had lost.

Godspeed You Black Emperor

2010-09-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing cover of this song. Haunting and powerful. It's one of my favorites...

Station 515

2010-09-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

“I felt sorry for guys who packed into gyms, trying to look like how Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger said they should...”

you have seen the advertisements - “six pack abs”, “get totally ripped”, names like beast, tsunami, and x-plode - all promising to condense years of hard work into a shake or a pill. where do people get the idea that they can buy results? that they even deserve the physical manifestation of countless hours of blood, sweat, tears, and a level of determination that borders on psychosis?

our body is a tool, and like any tool, form follows function. so have a function. train for a purpose. make the hours matter. sacrifice. consequences will sharpen your attention.

work. work hard. work with people who will not accept anything less than your best. court failure. find your limits and expand them. take the bitter pill of over reaching with the knowledge that failure will teach you better than success ever will.

train yourself. take control. take responsibility. this is your life after all. how often is “can’t” code for “never tried”. cut the bull-shit. make decisions. make moves. make it matter. talk less, work more. work smart. what is stopping you?

it will hurt. you will survive. it will be inconvenient. you will survive. it will be
scary. you will survive. it will be hard. you will survive. keep at it, and you might
even live.

to live with a body, with a mind shaped by your own efforts. to be an individual, to know, to own your victories and defeats. to be able to taste panic, to face doubts with a quiet determination. to balance the world with the weight of our will.

that is our goal.

-Station 515

Life Cycles

2010-09-03T12:16:00.001-07:00

I can't wait to see this movie...

Life Cycles OFFICIAL Trailer from Life Cycles on Vimeo.

I Like This

2010-08-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

No thought, no reflection, no analysis, no cultivation, no intention; let it settle itself...

- Tilopa

Kurt

2010-08-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

Kurt works at a grocery store near Black Diamond. He wears glasses, always smiles, and puts purchased items in "paper or plastic" bags. Since I'm a fat kid at heart, I eat a lot. And, I usually hit the Dan's a few times a week around midday to get some supplies for lunch. Needless to say, I see Kurt on a fairly regular basis and we always have the exact same conversation...

Kurt: Are you in the Army?

Me: Nope, I'm not.

Kurt: (with a puzzled look) But you have a shaved head and a camouflage (bike) bag...

Me: (with a smile) That's just how I cut my hair and camo is my favorite color. (which is sort of a lie)

Kurt: Oh. Are you a hunter...?

Me: (with a bigger smile) I'm not. Are you?

Then Kurt tells me how he went hunting with his uncle once and how they shot a deer. He tells the story just right, every time, like your Grandpa would.

I've probably talked to Kurt at least 50 times in the last 6 to 7 years, and I still always enjoy listening him tell his hunting story. And even though he will never remember who I am, I'm looking forward to the next time we cross paths and to meeting him again, for the very first time.

Brian Lopes

2010-08-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

THIS guy can ride a bike. Fast. Notice how much his speed increases after the guy he's following pulls off around 1:54, it's insane. Damn, now I have to go to Whistler too. Add it to the list...

Brian Lopes Riding the Crankworx Air DH Course. from Bike Magazine on Vimeo.

Stuck

2010-08-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Things always seem to get stuck. In my head. People, places, music. Today, it's this:

Thom Yorke, "Harrowdown Hill" from Bent Image Lab on Vimeo.

But maybe, they don't get stuck. Maybe, I just make them stick.